Actor Derek Dixon has broken his silence in his first televised interview since filing a $260 million lawsuit against media mogul Tyler Perry, alleging sexual harassment and assault. Speaking with ABC News Live anchor Linsey Davis, Dixon said he decided to speak publicly because he didn’t “want to stay silent about it anymore,” despite the shame and vulnerability that came with his accusations.
“It’s been hard,” Dixon said. “There’s a lot of shame around it. Just trying to think what you could have done better and having to deal with the judgment of how you could’ve ended it better without being in that situation.”
Dixon claims he met Perry at a 2019 studio opening party, where Perry gave him his number and encouraged him to pursue acting. In early 2020, Dixon landed the role of Dale in Perry’s BET series The Oval, appearing in 85 episodes between 2021 and 2025—a dream job he said he had always wanted.
According to Dixon’s civil complaint, Perry began sending him sexually suggestive messages while he was working on the show. One message allegedly read:
“What’s it going to take for you to have guiltless sex? Have y’all found that in therapy yet? I would hope that you would let someone hold and make love to you.”
Perry’s attorney, Matthew Boyd, dismissed the allegations, calling them a “scam” and saying, “Tyler will not be shaken down, and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail.”
Dixon alleges the first physical incident occurred in January 2020, after drinks at Perry’s guest house. Dixon said Perry climbed into bed with him, rubbed his leg, and commented on his appearance. Later, during filming of The Oval’s second season, Dixon’s character was shot multiple times on screen—a plot point he claims made him worry about job security if he did not comply with Perry’s advances.
In another alleged incident, after filming wrapped, Dixon said Perry pushed him against a wall in his trailer, grabbed him inappropriately, and asked if he was attracted to him. Dixon claims he tried to de-escalate by complimenting Perry but reiterated he was not interested.
Dixon says a further assault occurred in June 2021 at Perry’s Atlanta home, where Perry allegedly made unwanted advances again, this time instructing Dixon to strip down to his underwear under the pretense of using a weight monitor. Dixon says Perry pulled his underwear down and grabbed him before Dixon was able to get away and lock himself in a bathroom.
By spring 2024, Dixon said he cut off communication with Perry and left The Oval in September that year. He also alleges Perry failed to develop Losing It, a show Dixon had written, despite owning the rights. In January 2025, Dixon filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission before pursuing his lawsuit.
He explained that the $260 million figure reflects both lost income and a desire to deter similar behavior:
“Part of that number is my lost job, my lost income, the loss of a show. The other part of that is a deterrent—how do you stop a billionaire who won’t stop themselves from doing this?”
Dixon says his goal is accountability and change:
“Justice would look like knowing I’ve made a change—that something like this won’t happen to another actor that works for him or anyone else in the industry.”
Perry, a billionaire filmmaker, producer, and studio owner, has not publicly responded beyond his lawyer’s statement. The case continues to unfold, drawing national attention to power dynamics and workplace misconduct in the entertainment industry.
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