Tyler Perry Sued For $260 Million Over Sexual Assault Allegations, And His Alleged Texts Are Disturbing
Tyler Perry is facing a $260 million lawsuit from actor Derek Dixon, an actor alleging years of sexual harassment, assault, and coercion while working on Perry’s BET series "The Oval."
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The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, accuses the Hollywood mogul of using his influence to create what Dixon describes as “a coercive, sexually exploitative dynamic” after allegedly promising him career advancement.
According to the filing, Perry first met Dixon at the 2019 opening night event for Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta. Dixon claims Perry “picked [him] out of a crowd” and asked for his number, suggesting a potential role. That role eventually came, first in two episodes of Ruthless, then as “Dale” in The Oval, but the lawsuit says the opportunity was entangled with unwanted advances.
One of the earliest alleged incidents occurred in January 2020. Dixon says Perry invited him to his Atlanta home. After a night of drinking, Dixon says he went to bed in a guest room wearing only underwear. According to the lawsuit, “Before he knew what was happening, Dixon felt someone else slip into bed behind him and start rubbing Dixon’s body around his inner thigh in a highly sexual and suggestive manner. Dixon turned around and saw that Tyler Perry was in bed with him.”
The lawsuit includes years of alleged text messages between Dixon and Perry, many of which have since been shared on X (formerly Twitter). One allegedly reads, “No straight man would be going on walks with you or cooking dinner for you unless they wanted to f*ck you. I would f*ck you.” Another message reportedly shows Perry saying he was “jealous” seeing Dixon with other men.
In another instance described in the suit, Dixon says Perry invited him back to his home later that year, greeted him warmly, and then asked, “Do you like it rough in bed?” before allegedly grabbing him by the throat and saying, “Look how excited you just got.”
The allegations escalated again in June 2021, when Dixon says Perry pulled down his underwear, groped him, and told him, “Relax and just let it happen,” adding that “it wasn’t going to hurt.” Dixon says he was able to defuse the situation by quickly changing the subject.
Dixon claims he feared losing his job if he rejected Perry outright. He alleges Perry told him to quit his second job so that he could be more “dependent,” and that his role as Dale (a gay, homeless character forced to sleep with others for shelter) mirrored what Perry “was looking for in a real-life sexual partner.”
At one point, Perry allegedly promised to produce Dixon’s original pilot Losing It and increased his per-episode rate on The Oval, which Dixon claims he understood as a way to “keep the money and the job or complain about the sexual harassment, but not both.”
The lawsuit includes claims of sexual assault, sexual harassment, workplace gender violence, retaliation, and more. Dixon says he suffered depression, anxiety, stomach pains, and was eventually diagnosed with PTSD. He filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in June 2024 before leaving The Oval altogether.
His lawyer says Perry and his company never investigated the complaint. Dixon also claims Perry terminated his contract after he took a medical leave for emotional distress.
Tyler Perry’s legal team has strongly denied all allegations. In a statement to multiple outlets, Perry’s attorney Matthew Boyd called the lawsuit “a scam,” saying, “This is an individual who got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be nothing more than setting up a scam. But Tyler will not be shaken down and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail.” Dixon’s suit seeks a jury trial and $260 million in damages.
He ended his filing with a pointed comparison, stating, “Just like Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, R. Kelly, Sean ‘P-Diddy’ Combs, Kevin Spacey, Roger Ailes, and many others in the industry, Mr. Perry’s success has led him to believe that money and influence can get him whatever he wants. That belief slowly transformed into the false idea that Mr. Perry can get whomever he wants. There are things in life that money cannot buy.”
Neither Tyler Perry nor his studio has commented publicly beyond their attorney’s statement.
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