Tyler Perry Accused of Sexual Assault by 'The Oval' Actor - See His Response
Tyler Perry is facing an accusation of sexual assault from Derek Dixon.
The 55-year-old producer has been accused by the actor from his show, The Oval, in a new lawsuit, per TMZ.
Tyler‘s camp has already called it a “scam.”
The documents claim that the two met in 2019, and that Tyler picked him out of the crowd and asked for his phone number, suggesting he might have a role for him.
It turned out to be a small role in two episodes of Ruthless.
Then, in January 2020, Derek says Tyler invited him to his Atlanta home, and he accepted. While there, Derek drank too much, and ended up sleeping in a guest room.
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In the documents, Derek claims Tyler got into the bed with him, and started touching his thighs. He says he rejected the advances that night, but that Tyler remained interested.
Shortly thereafter, Derek got the role of Dale in The Oval, but Tyler also allegedly started sending sexually suggestive texts, asking about his sexual preferences and telling him he has sex with men.
Derek also notes his character, Dale, was written as a gay, homeless and desperate store clerk who had to sleep with other characters for a place to stay. He claims that’s exactly what Tyler told him he was looking for in a real life sexual partner.
Derek says he feared for his career, so instead he told him he just wasn’t “the sexual type,” but claims he feared he’d lose his job if he complained of sexual harassment.
Tyler reportedly once again invited him to Atlanta later in 2020. He claims while there that Tyler began asking him if he “likes it rough in bed,” then grabbed Derek by the throat while saying, “Look how excited you just got.”
He says he pushed Tyler away, and that was the end of that alleged incident.
The lawsuit includes years of text messages allegedly sent by between both men. One from Tyler reads: “No straight man would be going on walks with you or cooking dinner for you unless they wanted to f–k you. I would f–k you.”
He also alleges that in June 2021, Derek was staying again in the guest house at Tyler‘s place and wearing only his underwear, when he says Tyler came in to give him a goodnight hug, yanked down his underwear, groped his butt and said, “Relax and just let it happen” and assured him it wasn’t going to hurt. Derek says he managed to rebuff this advance by changing the subject.
According to the suit, he finally filed a complaint with Equal Employment and Opportunity Commission in June 2024, and then quit The Oval, saying he could no longer put up with the alleged sexual harassment.
He is suing Tyler and Tyler Perry Studios for quid pro quo and workplace sexual harassment and sexual assault and battery, seeking $260 million in damages.
Tyler‘s attorney Matthew Boyd said in a statement to TMZ in response: “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.”