The first lawsuit against Tyler Perry, accusing him of using his power in Hollywood to sexually assault aspiring male actors in his orbit, was filed in June. Another lawsuit was filed on December 26, with the entertainment mogul calling the two accusers’ allegations a “shakedown.” But his legal troubles may just be beginning.
“There are now two of these lawsuits,” said Jonathan Delshad, attorney for Perry’s two accusers. The Hollywood Reporter. “There may be more to come.”
In a statement, Alex Spiro, Perry’s lawyer, denied the allegations. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again,” he said. “This is nothing more than a $77 million scam.”
For years, Perry was considered a Hollywood success story. He runs Tyler Perry Studios, a 330-acre property on a former Confederate military base that employs more than 500 people. It was heralded as the crowning achievement of black creativity and ownership in the entertainment industry, although there was indirect criticism from some corners of Hollywood, most notably from Donald Glover. Atlanta and that of Aaron McGruder The Boondocks.
Some of the references in these shows reflected allegations made by Derek Dixon, who said Perry groped him while alluding to the filmmaker engaging in a strategy of exploiting male actors in his productions. For years, Perry “has used his power and influence to assault, abuse, and sexually assault impressionable and vulnerable employees and actors who turn to him for guidance and mentorship while pursuing their dreams,” Dixon, an actor in Perry’s. The Ovalalleged. This was followed by the filing of a second complaint, this time by Mario Rodriguez, an actor who appeared in Boo! A Halloween Madea and accused the mogul of several instances of assault over several years at his Los Angeles home.
Following the complaint, friendly communications between Perry and Rodriguez after the alleged assaults surfaced. The messages show the two were communicating as recently as August, with Rodriguez asking the mogul for help amid financial difficulties. “I feel sick most of the time. I’ve never told anyone, but my mom and everyone are starting to notice my broke ass,” he wrote in the August 31 note, via messages published by TMZ and Page Six. “I don’t have insurance.”
In another alleged text sent last year, Rodriguez thanked Perry “for everything” the mogul had done for him. “I just want to tell you that your boy here loves you more than anything,” he wrote. Perry replied, “You don’t have to give me anything or pay me anything. I’m just glad you’re good.”
The Associated Press reported that communications show they “remained in contact years after Rodriguez claims their interactions ended.” And The Los Angeles Timeshighlighting Rodriguez’s claims that he broke off contact with Perry in 2019, wrote that the messages “appear to show otherwise.” But Delshad views these messages as demonstrating an imbalanced power dynamic in which Perry felt obligated to repay Rodriguez for the alleged assaults.
“Why is he presenting himself as available for favors?” » said Delshad. “That’s the broader context. This is not normal behavior from a billionaire producer toward an unimportant actor who had a small role in one of his films.”
According to the complaint, Rodriguez agreed to meet with Perry several times over several years, even after he claimed he was assaulted. The actor received money on several occasions, including after an alleged assault in which Perry tried to unbuckle the actor’s pants, according to the lawsuit. In total, Perry, without prompting, gave Rodriguez $10,000, according to the complaint.
“They can say that Tyler Perry is just a philanthropist and he does this for everyone and, maybe, but that seems unlikely,” Delshad says. “I imagine his phone would blow up because of the hundreds of thousands of actors playing small roles in his films.”
He adds: “Why did Mario feel comfortable enough to ask him for money and why [Perry] answer four years after making a film together?
