TMZ is facing criticism for sharing an old video that depicts media mogul Tyler Perry addressing his fans during the COVID lockdowns in March 2020, urging them to stay safe and remain composed.
On Wednesday, TMZ titled its article, “Tyler Perry Tells Fans to Stay Calm in Video Released Hours Before Lawsuit News Broke,” highlighting the release of a video hours before the news of the lawsuit broke.
The lawsuit was filed by Derek Dixon, a former actor on Perry’s TV drama series “The Oval.” Dixon alleged that Perry sexually harassed him between 2019 and 2024.
Interestingly, Perry’s representatives reached out to TMZ and informed them that the video in question is old.
Media mogul, actor, filmmaker, playwright, and God fearing Christian pastor, Tyler Perry — is letting it be known that no weapon formed against him will prosper 😅 pic.twitter.com/4CAZFwTeJ7
— HarrietEve9 (@HarrietEve9) June 18, 2025
Dixon alleges that his former employer, Perry, relentlessly harassed him for sexual advances. He claims that when he resisted, Perry threatened to kill off his character, Dale, on the TV show “The Oval.” Dixon would have suffered a financial loss of $400,000 as a result.
According to court documents, the harassment allegedly began shortly after Dixon met Perry at Perry’s studio launch party in 2019. The two men exchanged phone numbers at the party, and Perry later called Dixon to introduce himself.
The news of the lawsuit spread rapidly across the internet this week, causing widespread shock and disbelief among Perry’s fans. They refuse to accept that Perry could have harassed his former employee.
In multiple text messages, Perry is alleged to have asked Dixon about his sex life and whether he was intimate with anyone. In another text message, Perry is said to have expressed his desire to have sex with Dixon.
Human Resources experts say sexual conversations between an employer and an employee is inappropriate and should be avoided.
Perry, 55, has not yet responded publicly to the scandalous allegations.
However, Perry’s attorney, Matthew Boyd, denied the accusations.
“This is an individual who got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be nothing more than setting up a scam. Tyler will not be shaken down, and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail,” he said.
Perry is set to release his new movie, Madea’s Destination Wedding on July 11.
