Actor Derek Dixon has taken his sexual harassment allegations against filmmaker Tyler Perry to national television, following up on a lawsuit he filed in June.
In an interview aired by ABC News on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, Dixon recounted what he described as the first incident at Perry’s home in January 2020 after they had been drinking together.
“I got into bed and then I noticed that he climbed into bed with me as well and started rubbing my leg. I jumped up out of bed,” he told anchor Linsey Davis.
Dixon, who appeared in Perry’s television series The Oval from 2021 to 2025, claims the filmmaker harassed him and exploited male actors.
His $260 million lawsuit also echoes allegations he made in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in July.
He further connected his claims to actor Christian Keyes’ 2023 statement about abuse by a “black Hollywood billionaire.” Keyes’ representatives have not commented.
The lawsuit alleges repeated sexual advances, messages, and groping.
READ ALSO: Tyler Perry Hit with Sexual Harassment, Gender Violence Lawsuit
Dixon said he first met Perry in 2019 at a studio event, adding that unwanted contact continued in 2021.
Perry’s lawyer, Matthew Boyd, has denied the allegations, describing the lawsuit as a shakedown attempt.
“This is an individual who got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be nothing more than setting up a scam. But Tyler will not be shaken down and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail,” he said in a statement.
Speaking on ABC, Dixon insisted that his actions were motivated by a desire to protect others.
“Everyone deserves to go to work and do their job without their boss trying to have sex with them. 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,” he said.