Tyler Perry’s accuser is speaking out after filing a $260 million sexual assault lawsuit against the powerful actor-writer-director.
“Everyone deserves to go to work and do their job without their boss trying to have sex with them,” Derek Dixon told The Hollywood Reporter. “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, who appeared in 85 episodes of Perry’s series The Oval, alleged in a June complaint that Perry had persistently sexually harassed him and on multiple instances sexually assaulted him, wielding his power over Dixon’s career as leverage.
Perry has denied the allegations.
“This is an individual who got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be nothing more than setting up a scam,” Perry’s lawyer told the Daily Beast in June, adding: “Tyler will not be shaken down and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail.”
Dixon, who is in his 30s, explained that when Perry, 55, first began to get close to him—asking him to audition for a part on one of his shows after exchanging numbers at an event—he didn’t realize that the filmmaker would be interested in a sexual relationship with a man.
“I’m not going to speak for him on how he identifies sexually,” said Dixon, who is openly gay. “Regardless of his sexual orientation or gender, he should not be speaking to any of his employees whether they be men or women, gay, straight or bisexual about their sexual preferences, how often they’re having sex and physically assaulting them.”
In the midst of the events alleged by Dixon, Perry and his longtime girlfriend, Gelila Bekele—with whom he shares a 10-year-old son—announced their break-up.
Tyler Perry and longtime girlfriend Gelila Bekele broke up in December 2020, while the events alleged in the suit were unfolding. Carol Lee Rose/Getty Images for Amazon Studios
In the new interview, Dixon addressed one of the lawsuit’s most severe allegations—that Perry groped his buttocks after inviting him over to his house to discuss Dixon’s pilot, which Perry had offered to shoot.
Dixon told THR that the two men got drunk together and Perry invited him to stay in the guest house. He claimed that Perry pulled down his underwear and groped him after asking him for “a goodnight hug.”
“When I tried to pull my underwear back up, he grabbed my wrists to keep me from putting them back on,” Dixon said. “I couldn’t believe what was happening.”
Dixon, who felt that he was about to be raped, managed to defuse the situation by telling Perry that he was too hungry to have sex, locking himself in a bathroom when Perry went to get a pizza.
Dixon was a series regular on Perry’s show “The Oval.” Marcus Ingram/Getty Images for BET
Although he contacted a lawyer after the incident, he didn’t move forward with a complaint because he didn’t want to lose his job on The Oval.
“I was too afraid to come forward,” he said. “I knew it would be awful. And I was right.”
Dixon said that he has been harassed online since filing the suit. “This is why people, especially men, don’t come forward,” he said.
Dixon alleges in the lawsuit that Perry groped him on multiple occasions and frequently sent him sexually charged texts.
Perry has denied Dixon’s allegations. Lester Cohen/WireImage
“For a long time, I convinced myself that it was part of the industry, or that somehow I had to accept it to keep working,” Dixon told THR. “But eventually, I couldn’t stay silent anymore.”
Asked if he tried to resolve the situation privately before suing, Dixon added, “There are always attempts to resolve situations like this privately, but they never result in the type of change necessary to protect further victims. At the end of the day my absolute fear is that he will be able to continue doing this without any major consequences.”
Representatives for Perry did not immediately return the Daily Beast’s request for comment on Dixon’s interview.