Derek Dixon was excited when Tyler Perry provided him an audition for The Oval, the soapy White Home drama airing on BET. However his pleasure quickly turned to disgust when he alleged that Perry victimized him with a sample of sexual harassment, finally forcing him to stop the present.
In June, Dixon filed a $260M lawsuit towards the mogul.
“I’m not going to talk for him on how he identifies sexually,” Dixon instructed THR. “No matter his sexual orientation or gender, he shouldn’t be talking to any of his workers, whether or not they be males or ladies, homosexual, straight, or bisexual, about their sexual preferences, how usually they’re having intercourse and bodily assaulting them.”
In a wide-ranging interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Dixon says that he turned pals with Perry after assembly him at an occasion in 2019.
Dixon was a struggling author and actor in his late 30s once they met. He says the 2 exchanged texts that turned extra private and that Perry finally invited him to audition for an Oval spinoff referred to as Ruthless. He was solid on the present and was instructed that the function may increase over time.
Dixon is an overtly homosexual man who says he had no concept that Perry could be enthusiastic about intercourse with males. However after accepting an invitation to Perry’s house one night time in January 2020, he says Perry requested him to remain in a single day in his visitor home after each males had a number of drinks. At that time, Dixon says Perry slipped into mattress with him and began rubbing his thigh. He left solely after Dixon instructed him he “wasn’t that sexual.”
Regardless of his lack of curiosity, Dixon says Perry continued to textual content him every day after which provided him an expanded function on The Oval, once more saying it may get greater in time. Dixon appeared in 85 episodes of The Oval from 2021 to 2025. He particulars a sample of harassment that included Perry continually texting him, generally with sexual innuendos and generally with outright sexually charged entreaties.
In one other incident, Dixon says Perry had him come to his trailer for a drink, then pushed him towards a wall and groped him. Dixon says that when he was invited again to Perry’s home for what he thought could be a dialogue about his comedy pilot script, Perry assaulted him. He says he thought he could be raped, however held Perry off by saying he needed one thing to eat.
Dixon claims that he feared being killed off on The Oval after his character was shot. Perry additionally delivered on his promise to shoot a pilot for his comedy script Shedding It, however didn’t inform Dixon he’d have to carry off purchasing it for 2 years due to restrictions associated to his Viacom (BET) deal.
After shifting to Los Angeles, Dixon filed an EEOC grievance and stop The Oval earlier than his final season, regardless of being due $400K.
“I used to be an worker, and he was my boss,” Dixon says. “The truth that I’m an actor doesn’t make me any much less an worker. For a very long time, I satisfied myself that it was a part of the trade, or that one way or the other I needed to settle for it to maintain working. However finally, I couldn’t keep silent anymore.”
Dixon’s lawsuit got here out after author/director/actor Christian Keyes, who was in Saints & Sinners and says he created All The Queen’s Males, launched a YouTube video in December 2023, alleging that he’d been abused by a “Black Hollywood billionaire.” Whereas Keyes stated he’d inform extra of the story and probably determine the individual, nothing extra has come of the cryptic allegations.
Dixon says he’s been contacted by others who’ve had related interactions with Perry.
Dixon’s swimsuit reads, partly, that Perry has “been utilizing his energy and affect to molest, abuse, and sexually assault impressionable and weak workers and actors who look to him for steering and mentorship whereas pursuing their desires.”
Perry’s legal professionals say the media mogul denies all allegations. In a press release supplied to THR, Matthew Boyd describes Dixon as an “particular person who received near Tyler Perry for what now seems to be nothing greater than organising a rip-off.” He added, “Tyler is not going to be shaken down and we’re assured these fabricated claims of harassment will fail.”
See social media’s response to the unique report beneath.
Tyler Perry Accuser Breaks Silence On Sexual Assault Allegations: “I Couldn’t Keep Silent Anymore”
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