Derek Dixon, who portrays Dale in Tyler Perry’s long-running show, Oval, has spoken out about unwanted advances he faced from the producer. He felt so threatened at one point that he had to lock himself in a bathroom to avoid a potential assault.
Dixon recounted in an interview with Hollywood Reporter that on a particular day on set, Perry invited him to his trailer for a drink.
“I knew I had to go,” he explained. “Since we all lived at Tyler Perry Studios, working under Perry—who wears many hats as a producer, writer, and director—meant following his directives.”
He expressed that, to stay in good favor and advance in one’s career, it felt nearly impossible to refuse an invitation from Perry.
The allegations of assault and harassment arose when Perry’s assistant directed Dixon to the trailer, where Perry began asking him inappropriate questions, including inquiries about his attraction to him.
After Dixon made it clear that he was not interested in anything sexual, Perry hugged him and then pushed him against a wall.
“Following such actions, he would insist that we needed to be professional. I replied, ‘Sure, absolutely,'” Dixon recounted.
During the summer of 2021, while working on Oval amid the pandemic, Perry invited Dixon to his home, supposedly to talk about comedy pilots, but the interaction quickly devolved into further unwanted advances, according to the lawsuit.
“I was anxious but knew I had to go,” he reflected. “If he made another move, I thought I could manage it—handle it like I usually did.”
After a few drinks, Perry suggested that Dixon sleep in the guest house.
“He told me to give him a goodnight hug. Then, unexpectedly, he forcefully pulled down my underwear and groped me,” Dixon revealed.
As he attempted to put his underwear back on, Perry grabbed his wrist, preventing him from doing so. “I was in disbelief,” Dixon added. “I told him to stop, but he wouldn’t listen. He relaxed me, assuring me he wouldn’t hurt me.”
At this point, Dixon feared he was about to be raped and noted that escaping Perry’s rural home, secured with guards and gates, was no easy feat.
“Uber couldn’t even get to the guest house,” he said.
To defuse the situation, Dixon told Perry he couldn’t get close because he was hungry. The two ended up sharing pizza in Perry’s living room. Afterwards, Dixon locked himself in the bathroom, where he fell asleep on the floor.
Dixon felt obligated to come forward, sharing his experience in his first interview since he filed a $260 million sexual assault claim against Perry in Los Angeles Superior Court on June 13.
“Everyone deserves to work without their boss trying to pursue them sexually,” he expressed.
Perry’s attorney, Matthew Boyd, responded by claiming that Dixon had initially approached Perry and now seems to be fabricating a fraud.
“Tyler is unfazed, and I’m confident these claims will be proven false,” Boyd asserted.
