Some of the children had previously suffered abuse in a foster home after being rescued from from horribly tortuous conditions in their parents' home in Perris.
According to the magazine, Winfrey was speaking at the Paley Honors Fall Gala at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on Dec. 4 when she revealed the previously unreported update about Perry and the children. Perry was honored at the event for his achievements in media.
"Remember the Turpin children?" Winfrey told the audience, People reported. "Diane Sawyer did a primetime special on these children who had been tortured and abused and locked in their home by their parents, and remember, the one daughter escaped out of the window and ran and told the neighbor?
"Tyler saw that special, and he reached out," she said, "and until this moment, no one has known that Tyler Perry has been taking care of those now almost grown children, making sure they have the financial, the psychological and the emotional support to grow themselves forward."
Retired sheriff's detective speaks out on investigation into Turpin children abuse cases
Additional details were not provided, and Perry has not spoken publicly about his role in the children's care.
In October, 65-year-old Marcelino Olguin was sentenced to seven years in prison for abusing the Turpin children he had assigned to care for in his home.
Olguin previously pleaded guilty to lewd acts on a child, false imprisonment and injuring a child, while his wife, Rosa, and adult daughter, Lennys, pleaded guilty to child cruelty. The women were each sentenced to four years of formal probation.
The Olguin family was tasked with caring for the children after they were rescued from their parents' home in Riverside County. Their parents, David and Louise Turpin, pleaded guilty in 2019 to torture and years of abuse that included shackling some of their 13 children and starving them and providing only a minimal education. The Turpin parents were sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years.
A report found that the social service system failed the Turpin children, who ranged in age from 2 to 29 when they were rescued by authorities from their parents' home after their 17-year-old sister escaped and called 911. Eventually six of the children were placed with the Olguins.
At last week's gala in Beverly Hills, Winfrey spoke about Perry's philanthropy, saying, "He is the quiet Good Samaritan. He's the fixer. He's the healer."
"Most of his charity, no one ever sees or hears about," she said. "The majority of people watch the news and they think, 'Oh, what a shame,' (but) Tyler watches and says, 'What can I do to make a change?' "