Tyler Perry Sued by ‘The Oval’ Star Over $260M Sexual Assault Claims
Look, I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news, but here we are: Tyler Perry is getting sued for sexual assault and harassment by an actor from his own show. Derek Dixon, who played Dale on The Oval, dropped a hefty $260 million lawsuit against Perry and Tyler Perry Studios, claiming everything from unsolicited thigh-grabs to throat-choking at Perry’s Atlanta home. The lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, paints a picture so absurd you’d think it was a bad soap opera script—except it’s real life and it involves alleged quid pro quo harassment on set.
According to court docs, Dixon first crossed paths with Perry at a 2019 event, where Perry supposedly swooped in, asked for Dixon’s number, and even cast him in two episodes of the series Ruthless. Fast forward to January 2020 and Dixon says he accepted an invitation to Perry’s place, hoping for mentorship but getting unwanted bedroom advances instead. After a night of drinking and a rejected proposition, Dixon landed the Dale role on The Oval—only to be bombarded by sexually charged texts. One alleged message 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.” Yeah, thrilling stuff.
Dixon claims he feared losing his career if he refused Perry’s advances, so he brushed it off by insisting he wasn’t “the sexual type.” But by mid-2020, Perry allegedly escalated things: asking Dixon if he “likes it rough in bed,” then grabbing him by the throat to show “how excited” Dixon got. The most aggressive scene reportedly unfolded in June 2021 when Perry allegedly sneaked into Dixon’s guest room, yanked down his underwear, groped his butt, and insisted Dixon “just let it happen.” Dixon says he managed to deflect the assault by changing the subject.
After enduring years of unwelcome advances, Dixon filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in June 2024 and eventually quit The Oval, claiming he could no longer tolerate the harassment. Now he’s suing for sexual assault, battery, and workplace harassment. Perry’s attorney, Matthew Boyd, calls the suit a “scam” and insists these “fabricated claims of harassment will fail.”
Did anyone expect a different outcome? No? Thought so. And that, dear reader, is why we can’t have nice things.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and TMZ, EEOC legal filing
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
