Tyler Perry Sued Over Alleged Sexual Assault In $260M Suit By ‘The Oval’ Actor — Here’s How He Responded

Tyler Perry is facing a lawsuit.

The multihyphenate creator and studio owner is being sued by Derek Dixon, an actor from BET’s Tyler Perry’s The Oval for sexual assault and harassment. According to TMZ and People, Dixon claims the assault took place in 2020, after he was invited to Perry’s Atlanta home.

Dixon initially met Perry in 2019 when he landed the role of Dale on Ruthless. According to the suit, as reported by People, Perry would text him—sometimes with suggestive advances—but also stated that he wanted to find Dixon a job and change his life. These conversations led to Dixon’s role on Tyler Perry’s Ruthless on BET+

What Derek Dixon alleges happened at Tyler Perry’s home

As TMZ reports, the 2020 incident at Perry’s home is where things escalated. Dixon believed the visit would help him build a friendship that could lead to more acting gigs. However, Dixon drank too much while visiting and tried to sleep it off in a guest room. He claims that during the night, Perry entered the room, got into bed with him, and started touching his thighs. Dixon said he rejected Perry’s advances, but that didn’t deter Perry during their working relationship.

What the lawsuit says about alleged texts and Dixon’s role on ‘The Oval’

Shortly after the incident, Dixon was cast to reprise his role as Dale on The Oval, which led to Perry allegedly sending him sexually suggestive texts. These included questions about Dixon’s sexual preferences and statements about having sex with men. Dixon also notes that his character on the show was written as a gay, homeless and desperate store clerk who had to sleep with other characters for a place to stay. According to Dixon, this type of character resembled someone Perry told him he was interested in—”someone who would be loyal and dependent upon Tyler,” according to the article.

Dixon claimed he feared for his job, so he never outright rejected Perry’s advances. He was afraid that if he accused Perry of sexual harassment, he would be fired. Instead, he told Perry he wasn’t “the sexual type.”

Despite Dixon trying to distance himself by saying he wasn’t sexual, Perry allegedly continued. In another 2020 incident, Perry launched into a highly sexual conversation with Dixon, allegedly asking if Dixon “likes it rough in bed,” grabbing him by the throat and saying, “Look how excited you just got.”

A 2021 incident included Dixon being in Perry’s guest house in his underwear when Perry came in to give him a hug goodnight. That hug, which Dixon described as inappropriate, allegedly led to Perry pulling down his underwear, groping his behind, and telling him to “relax and just let it happen,” adding that the sex wouldn’t hurt.

Both incidents occurred at Perry’s home, and both times Dixon claimed he rebuffed Perry’s advances.

Derek Dixon’s $260 million lawsuit and Perry’s legal response

Dixon eventually quit The Oval in 2024, claiming he could no longer tolerate the mistreatment.

He is suing for quid pro quo and workplace sexual harassment, as well as sexual assault and battery. He is seeking $260 million in damages.

Perry’s attorney, Matthew Boyd, claims Dixon is trying to pull a shakedown scheme. He told TMZ, “This is an individual who got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be nothing more than a scam. But Tyler will not be shaken down, and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail.”