In his first televised interview, Derek Dixon refuses to back down from his $260 million sexual assault lawsuit against Tyler Perry.
In the sit-down with ABC News Live anchor Linsey Davis, Dixon laid out claims of sexual harassment and assault involving the billionaire mogul, which Perry has denied.
Dixon told Davis he felt he could no longer ‘stay silent about it anymore,’ even though opening up about his alleged experiences was ‘a vulnerable thing to talk about.’
‘It’s been hard,’ he admitted. ‘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.’
Daily Mail has not received a response to its request for comment from reps for Perry.
Dixon explained how he landed on the staggering $260 million figure in his lawsuit, saying it came down to both personal losses and sending a message: ‘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.’
In his first televised interview, Derek Dixon (pictured) refuses to back down from his $260 million sexual assault lawsuit against Tyler Perry
In the sit-down with ABC News Live anchor Linsey Davis, Dixon laid out claims of sexual harassment and assault involving the billionaire mogul; (pictured 2022)
According to Dixon, he first crossed paths with the Hollywood powerhouse in 2019 at a studio launch party where he was working an event.
He claimed Perry asked if he was an actor, passed along his number, and said, ‘we’ll talk about this.’
In early 2020, Dixon landed his dream role as Dale on Tyler Perry’s BET series The Oval, appearing in 85 episodes between 2021 and 2025.
According to his lawsuit, while working on the show, Perry allegedly began sending Dixon text messages of a sexual nature.
‘One of them says, “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,”’ Dixon told ABC News.
Perry’s lawyer Matthew Boyd dismissed the claims, telling ABC News, ‘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.’
Dixon alleges the behavior escalated in January 2020, when Perry’s actions reportedly mirrored the tone of his messages.
One incident occurred while Dixon was having drinks at Perry’s guest house.
Dixon explained how he landed on the staggering $260 million figure in his lawsuit, saying it came down to both personal losses and sending a message: ‘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’
In early 2020, Dixon landed his dream role as Dale on Tyler Perry’s BET series The Oval, appearing in 85 episodes between 2021 and 2025
Instead of leaving for the night, Dixon claims Perry told him to stay in the guest quarters, which led to an unwanted encounter.
‘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 recalled.
At the end of the second season of The Oval, Dixon’s character was shot four times in the chest — an experience he said made him feel ‘if I don’t make him happy, I could stay dead on the show.’
Following the shoot, Dixon claims Perry invited him for drinks in his trailer, where he alleges the mogul asked if he was attracted to him.
In an attempt to de-escalate, Dixon told Perry he was ‘an attractive man’ but not interested — after which Dixon alleges the encounter became physical.
‘That’s when he pushed me up against the wall and grabbed my a** again. I remember leaving his trailer and calling my friend immediately and just feeling sick about it,’ Dixon said.
Another alleged incident occurred in June 2021 at Perry’s Atlanta home.
The complaint claims Perry prepared ‘several alcoholic beverages for himself and demanded to know why Dixon was not having sex with anyone.’
Perry has denied the claims – Pictured June 9 in LA
Perry reportedly led Dixon to the guesthouse bathroom to show him a weight monitor, instructing him to be ‘in your underwear to measure.’
Dixon said Perry then reached down, pulled his underwear, and grabbed him, ignoring Dixon’s attempts to resist.
Dixon said he eventually ended contact with Perry in spring 2024 and left The Oval in September 2024.
He also noted that a show he had been developing, Losing It, which Perry owned the rights to, never progressed beyond the pilot.
In January, Dixon filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, seeking accountability.
He said the lawsuit has taught him to ‘not treat your employees this way and to never use someone’s dream to coerce them into a relationship that’s not professional.’
On justice, he added, ‘It would look like 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.’
