Tyler Perry is facing a new accusation of alleged sexual assault from one of the actors on his popular TV series, The Oval. According to TMZ, the claim stems from a lawsuit Derek Dixon recently filed against Perry.
The actor says he met Perry at an event back in 2019, during which the filmmaker asked for his phone number to contact him about a potential role. That led to Dixon appearing in two episodes of the show, Ruthless.
In January 2020, Dixon claims Perry invited him to his Atlanta home. He decided to go in hopes that it would lead to a closer friendship that could help him get even more acting opportunities. Eventually, Dixon felt he was getting too drunk and decided to sleep it off in the guest room.
He alleges Perry got into bed with him and started touching his body. Dixon turned him away, but as time went on, Perry persisted in pursuing him. TMZ published screenshots of several sexually suggestive messages Perry allegedly sent to Dixon.
It was around this time that Dixon landed his role on The Oval. As Perry's alleged pestering continued, Dixon began to fear his career would be damaged if he outright rejected him. Instead, he described himself as not being "the sexual type."
Tyler Perry Allegations
During another invite to his home in Atlanta, Perry allegedly got physical with Dixon, at one point asking if he "likes it rough in bed." He also allegedly grabbed him by the throat and remarked: "Look how excited you just got." With the lawsuit, Dixon is seeking $260 million in damages for quid pro quo, workplace sexual harassment, sexual assault, and battery.
Perry's attorney, Matthew Boyd, said in a statement to TMZ: "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.”
