Tyler Perry Sued for Sexual Harassment by Male Actor
Derek Dixon, an actor on The Oval, seeks $260 million in damages, alleging sexual assault, harassment, and retaliation.
Tyler Perry is being sued for sexual harassment by Derek Dixon, an actor who appeared on the entertainment mogul’s TV drama The Oval.
Dixon, who appeared in 85 episodes of the BET series, alleges in his lawsuit that Perry — renowned for creating and starring in the Madea film franchise — used his power and influence in the industry to sexually assault and harass him while forcing him to stay silent.
The actor is seeking at least $260 million in damages, as first reported by TMZ.
“Mr. Perry took his success and power and used his considerable influence in the entertainment industry to create a coercive, sexually exploitative dynamic with Mr. Dixon — initially promising him career advancement and creative opportunities, such as producing his pilot and casting him in his show, only to subject him to escalating sexual harassment, assault and battery, and professional retaliation,” the lawsuit, filed last Friday, reads.
In the lawsuit, Dixon claims he first met Perry at an event in 2019, when the filmmaker picked him out of the crowd and asked for his phone number, suggesting he might have a role for him. Dixon was later cast in two episodes of the show Ruthless.
In January 2020, Dixon claims Perry invited him to his Atlanta home, and he accepted, hoping to build a friendship that might lead to more acting roles. While there, Dixon says he drank too much and ended up sleeping in a guest room. He alleges Perry got into bed with him and began touching his thighs — an advance he rejected.
Shortly thereafter, he landed the role of Dale in The Oval, but was barraged with sexually suggestive texts from Perry, who asked about Dixon’s sexual preferences and told him he has sex with men.
“What’s it going to take for you to have guiltless sex?” Perry allegedly wrote in one message. Another read, “No straight man would be going on walks with you or cooking dinner for you unless they wanted to fuck you. I would fuck you.”
The lawsuit claims Dixon was offered an increasingly prominent role on the show as Perry’s sexual advances became more aggressive, with Dixon rejecting them each time.
In one instance, in late 2020, Perry invited him to his Atlanta home and quickly started a sexually charged conversation, asking if he “likes it rough in bed,” and grabbing Dixon by the throat while saying, “Look how excited you just got.”
In June 2021, during another visit to Perry’s Atlanta home, Dixon says the director entered his room to give him a “goodnight hug” while Dixon was wearing only underwear. Perry allegedly yanked down his underwear, groped his buttocks, and said, “Relax and just let it happen,” adding that it wouldn’t hurt. Dixon says he was able to rebuff the advances and steer the conversation to another topic.
The next day, Perry apologized and told Dixon he would work with him on a TV pilot the young actor hoped to produce. The lawsuit claims Perry produced and purchased the rights to the pilot, Losing It, but never intended to sell the show and used it as leverage over Dixon. Dixon also received a raise, which the lawsuit alleges was part of an attempt to keep him quiet about the alleged sexual harassment.
Dixon claims in the lawsuit that during his time on the show, he feared backlash if he directly rejected Perry’s advances and was terrified he would lose his job if he complained about the alleged sexual harassment, reports the Associated Press.
“Dixon did his best to tiptoe around Mr. Perry’s sexual aggression while keeping on Mr. Perry’s good side,” the lawsuit reads. “Mr. Perry made it clear to Dixon that if Dixon ignored Perry or failed to engage with the sexual innuendoes, Dixon’s character would ‘die.'”
The lawsuit also claims Dixon moved from Atlanta to Los Angeles to distance himself from Perry. He filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in June 2024, but later quit The Oval after producers failed to respond to his sexual harassment claims.
Perry’s attorney, Matthew Boyd, claims Dixon’s allegations are false.
“This is an individual who got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be nothing more than setting up a scam,” Boyd said in a statement. “But Tyler will not be shaken down, and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail.”
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