Actor Breaks Silence After Alleging S**** Assault by Tyler Perry: “How Do You Stop a Billionaire Who Won’t Stop Themselves From Doing This?”

Actor Derek Dixon spoke out on Tuesday in his first TV interview since filing a lawsuit against Tyler Perry, alleging s**** harassment and assault.

Dixon shared his story with ABC News Live anchor Linsey Davis, saying he felt he could no longer remain silent despite how difficult it was to talk about.

“It’s been hard. 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 told ABC News.

Dixon filed a $260 million lawsuit against Perry in June. He says the problems began after he first met Perry in 2019 at a studio opening party, where Perry asked if Dixon was an actor, gave him his number, and said, “we’ll talk about this.” Dixon later landed a role on Perry’s BET series The Oval, appearing in 85 episodes from 2021 to 2025.

According to the lawsuit, Perry allegedly sent Dixon s***** suggestive text messages and made physical advances. Dixon recounted one instance in 2020 at Perry’s guest house where Perry allegedly climbed into bed with him and touched him despite Dixon saying he was not interested.

“I got into bed and then I noticed that he climbed into bed with me as well and started rubbing my leg. I jumped out of bed…he had said, ‘Turn around so I can look at you’ and just comment on how I looked. And then he got up and left. So I thought after that instance, it was pretty clear that I was not interested in that type of a relationship,” Dixon said.

He also described another encounter in Perry’s trailer after filming a scene on The Oval, where Perry allegedly asked if Dixon was attracted to him and then became physical again. In 2021, Dixon claims another incident occurred at Perry’s Atlanta home, where Perry allegedly tried to coerce him into being partially undressed under the guise of measuring his weight.

Dixon ended his communication with Perry in early 2024 and left The Oval later that year. He also says a show he had been developing, Losing It, which Perry owns the rights to, was never produced beyond the pilot. Dixon then filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission before pursuing the lawsuit.

In explaining the $260 million claim, Dixon said it accounts for lost income, the loss of his show, and also serves as a deterrent.

“Part of that number is my lost job, my lost income, the loss of a show. The other part of that is a deterrent for how do you stop a billionaire who won’t stop themselves from doing this,” Dixon said.

He told ABC News that he hopes Perry takes responsibility for his actions and that the case sets an example.

“What would look like justice for me is thinking I’ve made a change and that something like this won’t happen to another actor that works for him or another actor in the industry. That would be justice for me,” Dixon added.

Perry’s lawyer, Matthew Boyd, denied the allegations, saying, “This is an individual who got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be nothing more than setting up a scam. Tyler will not be shaken down and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail.”

In my view, this is a serious and important issue in Hollywood. Allegations like these highlight the power dynamics actors can face in the industry. I think it’s important for conversations like this to be public so others feel safe speaking up. What do you think about this story? Share your thoughts in the comments.