In his first sit-down interview since filing a massive lawsuit against Tyler Perry, Derek Dixon is finally speaking out, publicly sharing what he allegedly endured while working with the famed filmmaker. He’s also breaking down why he’s suing for $260 million.
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Dixon, who played “Dale” in Perry’s BET series The Oval from 2021 to 2025, recalled moments where Tyler Perry allegedly crossed serious lines. Dixon alleged that Perry not only sent him sexual text messages but also touched him inappropriately on several occasions.
While looking back at a 2020 party at Perry’s guest house—where Dixon stayed in the guest quarters—he recalled,
“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 told ABC News.
Dixon also described another alleged incident that happened on set while filming a scene. He claims Perry invited him to have drinks in his trailer, where Perry allegedly asked if he “was attracted to him.”
Dixon admits that he told Perry he was an “attractive man” in an attempt to de-escalate the situation. However, “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.
The actor said he cut off communication with Perry in the spring of 2024, which ultimately led to his decision to leave The Oval in September 2024. On top of that, he had to abandon his show Losing It, which he had been writing but no longer controlled since Perry owns the rights.
After filing a complaint in January with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (the federal agency responsible for protecting workers from discrimination), Dixon followed up with the $260 million lawsuit for damages.
So how did he come up with that specific number? Dixon explained, “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 added that he ultimately hopes Perry takes “accountability for what happened” and that the lawsuit serves as a lesson to “not treat your employees this way and to never use someone’s dream to coerce them into a relationship that’s not professional.”