Actor, director, writer, and media mogul Tyler Perry has been accused of sexual assault in a $260 million lawsuit filed by an actor who claims Perry harassed and assaulted him while working on the BET series The Oval. Per TMZ, Perry’s lawyers have denied the allegations, characterizing the claims as a shake down, calling them “fabricated,” and saying Dixon “got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be nothing more than setting up a scam.”
In the suit, Dixon claims to have met Perry in 2019, when Perry asked for Dixon’s phone number at an event and hinted at some possible acting roles. Perry cast Dixon on Ruthless, a BET+ spin-off of The Oval, Perry’s presidential evening soap opera. Dixon says he was invited to Perry’s Atlanta compound, where, after a night of heavy drinking, Dixon denied Perry’s sexual advances. After Perry cast Dixon on The Oval, Dixon claims that Perry began sending sexually explicit text messages regarding Dixon’s sexual preferences. At the same time, Dixon worried about career blowback over denying his boss’ advances. Later that year, Perry invited Dixon back to his home, where he allegedly asked the actor if he “liked it rough in bed.” Dixon also claims that Perry grabbed him by the throat and said, “Look how excited you just got.” The following year, again at Perry’s home, Dixon, who was staying in the guest house, says Perry came to his room for a goodnight hug when the mogul pulled down Dixon’s underwear, groped his butt and said, “Relax and just let it happen.” Dixon quit the show shortly after.
The actor filed a complaint with the Equal Employment and Opportunity Commission in June 2024. He is suing Perry and Tyler Perry Studios for $260 million, accusing them of quid pro quo and workplace sexual harassment, sexual assault, and battery.
