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An actor on The Oval, one of writer, director, and producer Tyler Perry’s many television shows, has filed a lawsuit accusing Perry of sexually harassing him during production and using his leverage as a producer to silence him.
According to AP News, actor Derek Dixon filed the lawsuit last Friday in the Los Angeles Superior Court and is seeking at least $260 million in damages. Dixon says he initially met Tyler Perry while working as event staff for one of the producer’s parties. Perry took notice of Dixon and told him to audition for one of his productions.
Dixon initially started working for Tyler Perry with a bit part in Ruthless, before being offered a more prominent role in The Oval. Dixon alleges that as his roles became more prominent in Tyler Perry’s productions, Perry’s sexual advances became more and more aggressive.
“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 says.
The lawsuit includes screenshots of several text messages that Dixon alleges were sent by Perry. “What’s it going to take for you to have guiltless sex?” one of the messages says. Another series of text messages shows Perry allegedly expressing jealousy over seeing a picture of Dixon with another man.
Dixon says he tried to rebuff the alleged advances while staying friendly with Perry, as it was implied his character would be killed off if he outright ignored them. “Dixon did his best to tiptoe around Mr. Perry’s sexual aggression while keeping on Mr. Perry’s good side,” the lawsuit says. “Mr. Perry made it clear to Dixon that if Dixon ignored Perry or failed to engage with the sexual innuendos, Dixon’s character would ‘die.’”
The lawsuit includes screenshots of text messages allegedly from Tyler Perry implying that he used the threat of killing off a character as a way to keep actors in line. “I swear to you, I KNOW HOW TO FIX THIS SH*T,” the text reads. “I love killing a m*ther f*cker in a show that no one expects.”
From AP News:
The lawsuit says Perry eventually sexually assaulted Dixon on “multiple occasions,” including an instance where he “forcibly pulled off Mr. Dixon’s clothing, groped his buttocks, and attempted to force himself on Dixon.”
Dixon clearly told Perry “No,” but was initially ignored until he was able to de-escalate the situation and change the subject, according to the lawsuit.
The following day, Perry apologized, and told Dixon he would work with Dixon on a TV pilot Dixon was seeking to produce.
The pilot, entitled “Losing It,” was never sold, and Dixon believes it was only produced as a way to keep him silent about the alleged harassment.
Dixon says he moved from Atlanta to Los Angeles as a way to put distance between himself and Tyler Perry, but he alleges that the harassment continued through text messages. He filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 2024, and when that didn’t result in any steps being taken by the show’s producers, he quit.
For his part, Tyler Perry has denied the allegations. “This is an individual who got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be nothing more than setting up a scam,” Perry’s attorney Matthew Boyd said in a statement Tuesday. “But Tyler will not be shaken down, and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail.”
Tyler Perry and BET, the network that produces The Oval, reached a new multi-year deal last year. BET has not commented on the allegations against Perry, and it’s unclear how, if at all, this will affect the several shows he currently has in production at the network.
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Tyler Perry, Terri Vaughn Sued Over ‘She The People’ Netflix Series
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