Derek Dixon is doubling down on his sexual assault allegations against Tyler Perry in his first TV interview since filing a $260 million lawsuit.
The “Oval” actor opened up to ABC News Live‘s Linsey Davis on Tuesday about his “vulnerable” accusations.
While Dixon admitted it has “been hard” to “tell [his] truth” and carries “a lot of shame,” he no longer “want[s] to stay silent about it anymore.”
He broke down Perry’s alleged sexual advances via text and in person, which were also described in his June lawsuit.
While some initial interactions “gave [Dixon] pause,” he claimed the alleged harassment took a turn when he stayed in the media mogul’s guest home.
“I got into bed, and I noticed he climbed into bed with me as well and started rubbing my leg,” Dixon alleged. “I jumped up out of bed and he said, ‘Turn around so I can look at you.’”
The screenwriter insisted he allegedly reacted by being “pretty clear [he] was not interested in that type of relationship” with Perry.
Dixon clarified, “I think it’s OK that people try to make a move or shoot their shot but if they get rejected, I think that they should stop. I thought it would stop after that, but it didn’t.”
He went on to detail an alleged incident when Perry “pulled [his] underwear down” and “grabbed” his butt despite Dixon requesting he stop.
“Unless someone has been through something having the control of their body taken away, you don’t understand the feelings that you have in that moment,” Dixon told viewers. “I didn’t know what to do.”
Dixon, who recalled repeated instances of “de-escalating” and “distracting,” filed a complaint against Perry with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in January following his character, Dale, getting killed off of Perry’s BET series.
He claimed this had been Perry’s “way of showing his power” and denied trying to extort the filmmaker — as Perry’s legal team previously claimed — by requesting more than $40 million to keep quiet.
“I’m looking for accountability, something to deter him from doing this to someone else,” he explained. “How do you stop a billionaire who won’t stop themselves from doing this?
“Part of that number is my lost job, lost income, loss of the show,” Dixon continued. “The other part of that is a deterrent.”
Perry’s rep did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
His attorney did, however, insist to ABC News that “this is an individual who got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be nothing more than setting up a scam.”
The lawyer claimed, “Tyler will not be shaken down and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail.”
When asked at the end of the interview what he would like to say to Perry, Dixon teared up and concluded, “Never use someone’s dream to coerce them into a relationship. That’s not professional.”