Veteran Actor Jesse Lewis IV Steps Into a Defining Role in Tyler Perry Studios’ Route 187 on Paramount+

After two decades on screen, Jesse Lewis IV takes a career-defining turn as Miss Stu in Tyler Perry Studios’ Route 187, premiering Sept. 16 on Paramount+.

ATLANTA, GA, UNITED STATES, September 2, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — After more than two decades of working across television and film, actor Jesse Lewis IV is entering a defining new chapter as Miss Stu in Tyler Perry Studios’ Route 187, premiering September 16 on Paramount+.

All four episodes of the dramatic series will be available at launch. Set in South Winslow, Route 187 explores truth, community and the people determined to uncover what others would rather keep hidden.

At the center of Lewis’ story is Miss Stu, a formidable neighborhood matriarch who shelters the broken and the hunted. Part protector, part gatekeeper and part mystery, she provides refuge to people who have nowhere else to go—but in South Winslow, safety comes with rules, history and a price.

Miss Stu carries the recognizable authority of the Black matriarch who protects her community, tells difficult truths and shifts the energy of every room she enters. The character is never simply the helper, the victim or the joke. She is written and performed with humor, instinct, emotional depth and a moral code all her own.

“Miss Stu is the kind of role I spent 20 years preparing to play,” Lewis said. “She enters a room with history, authority and purpose. I want audiences to feel the person before they see the transformation.”

As a male actor portraying a transgender woman, Lewis approached the role with an awareness of the responsibility involved. His goal was to move beyond imitation and build a complete human being whose femininity is only one dimension of her identity.

“I respect that representation matters,” Lewis said. “My responsibility was to honor Miss Stu with care—never reducing her to a joke or stereotype, but preserving her humanity and power.”

Lewis’ selected screen credits include Netflix’s Florida Man with Edgar Ramírez; Tyler Perry’s Sistas, in which he portrayed Bootsy; TNT’s Southland; Queen America with Catherine Zeta-Jones; Black Dynamite with Michael Jai White; and Meet the Spartans with Kevin Sorbo and Carmen Electra. His television appearances also include VH1’s America’s Most Smartest Model, Dr. Phil, The New Ricki Lake Show and The Tyra Banks Show.

Alongside his screen career, Lewis is enrolled full-time in Boston University’s MBA program. He views business fluency as essential to an actor’s longevity: creating opportunity, understanding value and building a sustainable career beyond the next audition.

Route 187 arrives at a pivotal moment for Lewis—a veteran actor stepping into a high-visibility, character-driven role supported by Tyler Perry Studios and Paramount+. He hopes the performance introduces audiences and the entertainment industry to the range he has developed throughout his career.

Jesse Lewis IV is available for select television, podcast, print and digital interviews about Route 187, building Miss Stu, character transformation, career longevity and balancing acting with a full-time MBA.

Watch the Route 187 trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-x0zCk3f64

Media inquiries: bookingjesselewis@gmail.com
Instagram: @JesseLegendary
IMDb: imdb.me/JesseLegendary

Jesse Lewis IV
Jesse Lewis IV Media
+1 424-234-6614
bookingjesselewis@gmail.com
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn
Instagram
TikTok
Other

Jesse Lewis IV as Miss Stu in Tyler Perry Studios’ Route 187 — Official Trailer

Media gallery