Who Is Derek Dixon, Actor Suing Tyler Perry for Sexual Assault?
Tyler Perry is being sued by actor and playwright Derek Dixon, who is best known for his long-running role as Dale on Perry's BET series The Oval. Dixon, originally from Raleigh, North Carolina, worked with Perry for several years and appeared in more than 100 episodes of The Oval. He also acted in Perry's Ruthless and was first introduced to the filmmaker in 2019 at a party hosted by an events company where Dixon was working. Shortly after their meeting, Perry offered Dixon a role in The Restless, which eventually led to his casting in The Oval.
In addition to acting, Dixon has an extensive background in theater. He studied at Marymount Manhattan College and trained at The Terry Schreiber Studio in New York. As a playwright, he was named co-winner of the 2016 Essential Theatre Playwriting Award. His works include Homewrecker, Red Snow, Pictures of People, Work of Art, and Green Light. On stage, he has performed in productions such as The Lion in Winter, Romeo and Juliet, and The Boys In The Band.
Dixon's lawsuit accuses Perry of misconduct that allegedly took place during their professional relationship. According to legal filings, Dixon claims that Perry used his power and influence to initiate unwanted advances. It escalated into sexual harassment, physical assault, and professional retaliation after Dixon declined to reciprocate. He says the situation forced him to exit The Oval midway through its sixth season. Dixon is now seeking $260 million in damages.
Tyler Perry has firmly denied the accusations. His attorney, Matthew Boyd, stated, '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.' (via Money Control)
The post Who Is Derek Dixon, Actor Suing Tyler Perry for Sexual Assault? appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Jennifer Aniston Says ‘Friends' Cast Did Everything They Could to Help Matthew Perry: ‘I'm Glad He's Out of That Pain'
"It almost felt like we'd been mourning Matthew for a long time," the actress says of her late co-star Jennifer Aniston opened up about the death of her late 'Friends' co-star, Matthew Perry, and his struggles with addiction and substance abuse, stating, 'I'm glad he's out of that pain.' Her comments were featured in an interview published Monday with Vanity Fair. The actress worked with Perry for 10 years on 'Friends,' the beloved NBC sitcom that launched them both into full-fledged stardom. In 2021, Aniston reunited with Perry, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer for the HBO Max special 'Friends: The Reunion.' More from TheWrap William H. Macy Boards Dan Fogelman's Hulu NFL Drama Series A&E's 'Family Lockup' Reunites Inmates With Estranged Relatives — in Prison | Exclusive Greg Daniels Says He Chose Newspaper Setting for 'The Office' Spinoff Because They've 'Been Hollowed Out' by Economic Forces John Cena Headlines New Ad Campaign Promoting ESPN's All-In-One Streaming Service Two years later, Perry died in October 2023. It was subsequently reported that he died due to the acute effects of ketamine. Coronary artery disease and the effects of both drowning and buprenorphine were also listed as contributing factors in his death. 'We did everything we could when we could,' Aniston told VF about Perry's passing, reflecting on collective attempts to get him help for his struggles with addiction. 'But it almost felt like we'd been mourning Matthew for a long time because his battle with that disease was a really hard one for him to fight.' 'As hard as it was for all of us and for the fans, there's a part of me that thinks this is better,' she added. 'I'm glad he's out of that pain.' The actress previously penned an Instagram tribute in 2023 to her co-star shortly after his passing, writing, 'Matty, I love you so much and I know you are now completely at peace and out of any pain.' In October 2024, Aniston also commemorated the 1-year anniversary of Perry's death by sharing a number of photos taken of the two of them together over the years. In her latest interview, Aniston talked openly about her enduring love of 'Friends' and the gratitude she feels for the global, decades-spanning impact it has had on viewers. 'If ['Friends'] was the only thing on my résumé, I would be very happy and blessed,' she shared. The post Jennifer Aniston Says 'Friends' Cast Did Everything They Could to Help Matthew Perry: 'I'm Glad He's Out of That Pain' appeared first on TheWrap.


USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Say what you want about Katy Perry, her Lifetimes tour is great
PHILADELPHIA – If you've been online lately, you've seen the criticism. Katy Perry is a spoiled brat. She is too thin and can't dance. Katy Perry brought a setlist to space and her '143' album is a flop. Can we maybe enlist the "Leave Britney alone!" guy at this point and swap in Perry's name? Seriously, why all the hate? What has Perry done to provoke so much agitation and scorn? So her 'Woman's World' video didn't land with the irony she intended. So she had dinner with the former Canadian prime minister following her breakup with Orlando Bloom. So she toes the line between bold and bizarre. If Perry were the monster so many internet trolls profess her to be, she probably wouldn't be selling out arenas – such as Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia Aug. 9 – on her Lifetimes Tour. And guess what? It's a fun, vibrant show filled with flying apparatus, dancers, oversized flowers, sleek video panels, an AI Perry and plenty of her goofy charm that borders on silly. Are those legit reasons for character assassination? Perry has been loping around the world on this tour for four months. Her Philadelphia stop was the 33rd city on the Lifetimes Tour, with 39 to go before wrapping in Abu Dhabi at the end of the year. It's her first tour since 2018, but it's not as if she's been sitting around flicking petals off daisies in the meantime. Perry bopped through 80 shows in a nearly two-year residency in Las Vegas that ended in 2022. That production, appropriately dubbed Play, featured a rocking horse, dancing tubes of toothpaste and a mammoth toilet bowl. So now she's getting dogged for having a lightsaber duel and hanging upside down inside a metal sphere while singing 'I Kissed a Girl'? Perry's tour hasn't been without its own obstacles. She has sung, smiled and hit her marks on stage while her insides were likely crumbling from her split with Bloom, her fiance of six years and father of her daughter, Daisy. In San Francisco, the butterfly she rides above the crowd during 'Roar' took an unexpected and scary dip with Perry in tow. Call her whatever you want, but the 'show must go on' ethos is strong in this one. Perry has never been a powerhouse singer like Lady Gaga or Kelly Clarkson, nor does she possess seemingly effortless dance moves like Beyoncé. But she's a strong vocalist with a knack for writing anthems that reinforce emotional fortitude. 'Roar' and 'Firework,' yes. But also 'Wide Awake,' coated with a pulsing rhythm from her four-piece band and 'Teary Eyes,' from 2020's 'Smile' album. 'Don't be afraid of your tears – they're trying to heal you!' she yelled after the song, her message amplified by her metal-plated outfit. Perry is also fearless. She floats above the stage – which boasts winding catwalks in the shape of an infinity symbol – during 'Nirvana,' weaves with her dance troupe on metal jungle gyms throughout 'Teenage Dream' and starts the show being pulled upward in the center of a space age platform for 'Artificial.' But along with the sensory assault, Perry's willingness to expose her emotions and her self-deprication are her superpowers. 'I'm going to get vulnerable and sing about my first divorce,' she said before 'Not Like the Movies.' After reminding the crowd that since her last tour she became a mother, Perry quipped, 'Those (out there) 8-years-old and younger ... I am not Dua Lipa. I am Dua Lipa's aunt, Katy Perry.' Curiously, Perry's fan base is predominately tween, the same demographic that flocked to her shows donning kitty ears 20 years ago. Midway through her two-hour concert Saturday, Perry continued her bit of calling a few fans on stage to add some percussion to 'The One That Got Away.' Two of her choices were preteen girls clearly enthralled to be in her warm presence. Exuding big sister vibes, Perry asked about their backgrounds and their career goals, even doing splits on stage next to one, an aspiring gymnast. She doesn't have to engage at this level, her Disney princess eyes wide as she listened to these kids. Nor does she have to grab a fan's phone during the fizzy two-fer of 'Hot N Cold' and 'Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)' and scamper around the stage to take priceless video for them. But she does it because, even at 40, she's connecting with fans of all different backgrounds. Is it arrested development? Perhaps. Or maybe she's just a girl who wants to have fun.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Jennifer Aniston Thinks It's ‘Better' Matthew Perry Passed Away: ‘He's Out of That Pain'
Jennifer Aniston reflected on Matthew Perry's struggle with addiction nearly two years after his death. 'We did everything we could when we could,' she told Vanity Fair in a new interview while speaking of herself and Friends costars Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc's efforts to help Perry through his substance abuse issues. Perry was found unresponsive at his Pacific Palisades home in California on the night of October 28, 2023. Medical examiners ruled his cause of death as acute effects of ketamine and drowning. He was only 54. By the time of the 17 Again actor's passing, Aniston, 56, said it'd almost been like they'd been 'mourning' him for a 'long time' amid his rollercoaster relationship with drugs and alcohol. 'His battle with that disease was a really hard one for him to fight,' she added. 'As hard as it was for all of us and for the fans, there's a part of me that thinks this is better,' she continued. 'I'm glad he's out of that pain.' One month after he died, Aniston opened up on the 'insane wave of emotions' she felt as she processed the tragedy. 'We all experience loss at some point in our lives,' she wrote via Instagram at the time. 'Being able to really SIT in this grief allows you to feel the moments of joy and gratitude for having loved someone that deep. And we loved him deeply.' Solve the daily Crossword