Amber Haag

Hello and welcome back to Fame Under Fire with me, Amber Haag. I spend a lot of time looking at that intersection between celebrity culture, allegations of crime, how fame, money and influence can sometimes complicate accountability. And today's episode is going to be no different because this case involves another Hollywood figure, someone who isn't just an actor, but a filmmaker.

a studio owner and a billionaire, Tyler Perry. We're going to be hearing more about his career shortly, but he is being sued by two of his former employees in two separate civil lawsuits, both alleging sexual misconduct and abuse of power. Now, Tyler Perry strongly denies these allegations. One of those lawsuits goes even further, explicitly likening Tyler Perry as

Hän on kuitenkin kuitenkin kuitenkin kuitenkin kuitenkin

Money from Tyler Perry. So after the first lawsuit was filed in June 2025, Perry's lawyers described it as a scam. They told the BBC that Tyler Perry would not be shaken down and that these claims were fabricated.

It is safe to say that there is so much to get stuck into for us. I'm going to go through all of this with attorney and legal analyst Terry Austin. She's joining us from New York. You may actually even recognize Terry from Fame Under Fire's sister podcast covering the Mangione trial. You can listen to that on BBC Sounds, wherever you get your podcasts. It's an amazing listen. Terry, welcome to Fame Under Fire. How are you?

Kiitos Amber, on hienoa olla täällä, minä olen hyvin. Terry, haluan puhua sinulle näistä lainsäädäntöistä Tyler Perrystä, mutta for anyone who doesn't recognize the name who Tyler Perry actually is, let's just go through why he holds so much weight in Hollywood.

popular people in the United States as far as entertainers are concerned. So everyone knows his name. And people listening may also know him as the man who paid for Prince Harry and Meghan's security when they first moved over to the US. He even let them stay in his home. But this context about Tyler Perry's wealth, his power, his fame...

It's interesting because Derek Dixon filed a lawsuit and he's claiming...

Derrick Dixon sopii esityksellä Ovalissa, jota Tyler teki. Puhu meille, miksi se on tärkeää, että he työskentelivät yhdessä?

Is there anything within the messages, the emails, that shows Derek Dixon encouraging Tyler Perry, having an intimate relationship with him? Well, I think what we're seeing is more the opposite of that. It's a little bit more of Tyler Perry advancing towards

Kyllä, nämä ovat joitain asioita ensimmäisessä rauhoituksessa Derrick Dixonin kanssa. Aiemmin muutama kuukausi myöhemmin huomasin tämän mielenkiintoisen aikavälin kristinpäivän jälkeen, jossa oli toinen loppu, jossa oli toinen taiteilija, Marjo Rodriguez. Puhutaanpa, miten se tapahtuu. Mitä Marjo Rodriguez kertoo Tyler Perryn vastaan?

This is all made up. There's nothing here. It's smoke and mirrors. He's just trying to get 77 million dollars, which also, in my opinion, Amber, is a very strange number, 77. Where did he get that? There's been a lot of talk online about these text messages, that there was exchanges after the allegations of abuse had taken place. I just wondered, when people hear text messages like that,

Tämä on mielenkiintoista, koska siinä on kaksi puolta. Jumala ja juuri, koska nämä ovat juuriturjoja, jos he pääsevät siihen. Katsotaan niitä kirjoja jälkeen tapaamista.

Something that jumped out to me actually in terms of language as well across both of the lawsuits is they include a claim called intentional infliction of emotional distress. What does this actually mean, Terry? You have to show that

We did approach Tyler Perry's lawyers, including Alec Sparrow. You may recognize his name. He's also Jay-Z and Alec Baldwin's lawyer for Common. They didn't get back, but according to Deadline and the LA Times, Alec Sparrow has made a statement. He said, having recently failed in another matter against Mr. Perry, the very same lawyer has now made yet another demand from more than a decade ago, which will also be a failed money grab.

Tyler Perry vaihtaa tämän vahvasti. Puhumme myös tutkijan, joka osallistuu molemmille näiden ihmisten kanssa, kommenttiin, että Jonathan Delchard, hän voi kuulostaa toistaiseksi, hän on myös tutkijan Will Smithin huolimatta Brian King Josephin huolimatta. Voit mennä takaisin ja kuunnella meidän programmaa, jos haluat järjestää tämän asian, mutta hän kertoi Fame Under Firen.

We believe the text messages explain the story. Perry's legal team has not denied any of the text messages or a relationship with my clients. They are trying to position Dixon's case to be dismissed based on procedural issues because they are concerned about the substance of the claims and what other evidence will come out. We have a feeling there might be significant other lawsuits that will follow."

Tietysti Jonathan on oltava, joten tämä on juuri hänen mielensä. Terri, miten luulet, että Tyler Perry voisi vähentää itseään näistä lausuntoista? Luulen, että molemmissa näissä tapauksissa, Derrick Dixonin ja Mario Rodriguezin tapauksessa, se ei ole tapahtunut.

Jos se on tapahtunut, se on varmasti valitettavissa. Mutta so far, based on the allegations and the complaint, I don't see that the two of them cross paths per se. If they did, then that could be very relevant. Stepping back from the headlines and the noise for a second, Terry, from a legal perspective, how strong do you think that these lawsuits appear at this stage that we're at now?

Terry, thank you so much for breaking down all of those lawsuits for us. There's a lot going on. And as you say, early stages and seeing how this all may play out. So we'll definitely keep across the story. Thank you so much. Thank you. It's been my pleasure being here.