Tyler Perry Accuser Derek Dixon: “I Couldn’t Stay Silent Anymore” (Exclusive)

Actor Derek Dixon says the process of bringing his recent bombshell lawsuit for sexual harassment and assault against Atlanta entertainment mogul Tyler Perry has been “terrifying.” But in his first interview since filing the $260 million claim against Perry in Los Angeles Superior Court on June 13, he says he felt compelled to speak out because, “I couldn’t just let him get away with this.” “Everyone deserves to go to work and do their job without their boss trying to have sex with them,” Dixon says. “My goal is to help ensure that the next generation of actors and creatives don’t have to choose between their dreams and their dignity.” Dixon, an actor in his late 30s who appeared in 85 episodes of Perry’s BET series The Oval that aired between 2021 and 2025, alleges in the lawsuit that Perry made several unwanted sexual advances toward him, including one in which the producer pinned him against a wall and groped him and another in which Perry snuck into his bed. Dixon has accused Perry of engaging in a pattern of exploiting male actors in his productions and using his power in the entertainment industry to harass employees. In a statement, Matthew Boyd, a lawyer for the 55-year-old mogul, called Dixon 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,” Boyd said.