Beloved filmmaker Tyler Perry‘s reputation is in jeopardy of being shattered after shocking sex abuse allegations emerged from a SECOND man – and now skittish Hollywood pals are steering clear of the Madea mastermind, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The 56-year-old billionaire was slammed with a $77 million sexual assault and battery lawsuit by beefcake model Mario Rodriguez – months after actor Derek Dixon lodged a similar $260 million claim that has accused the mogul of using his lofty position to create a “coercive, sexually exploitative dynamic” during the shooting of Perry’s TV project The Oval.
Hollywood Pals Suddenly Go Silent
Mario Rodriguez filed a $77million lawsuit accusing Tyler Perry of sexual assault and battery.
“Tyler Perry is a producer/director who wields immense power in the movie industry,” according to Rodriguez’s searing 23-page complaint, which alleges the star uses his status “to abuse and sexually assault people who hope to secure roles in his movies.”
Perry immediately denied the allegations, branding them nothing more than a “money grab.”
Entertainment insiders said Perry’s bigwig pals – including Scandal actress Kerry Washington, Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle, and Barack and Michelle Obama – appear to be keeping their distance from the powerhouse producer.
“People are stunned by how quiet his friends are,” one Hollywood insider told RadarOnline.com. “Normally Meghan would rush out with public support. This time? Nothing. Not a word.”
Another insider said: “This isn’t just about Tyler anymore. It’s about who knew what – and when.”
Explicit Lawsuit Details Alleged Abuse
Derek Dixon previously accused Perry of creating a coercive dynamic during filming of ‘The Oval.’
Dixon’s lawsuit, filed in June, accuses Perry of sending suggestive texts requesting “guiltless sex” and describes one alleged instance where he “forcibly pulled off Mr. Dixon’s clothing, groped his buttocks and attempted to force himself” on the actor.
Perry’s high-powered attorney Matthew Boyd bashed the lawsuit as a bid for cash, insisting his client “will not be shaken down, and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail.”
Rodriguez’s lawsuit purports that Perry recruited him from a Los Angeles gym for a role in Boo! A Madea Halloween, but subsequent business meetings at the hotshot’s home turned into touchy-feely molestation attempts.
Graphic Claims Trigger Hollywood Freeze
Kerry Washington, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and Barack Obama are said to be keeping their distance from Perry.
The suit states: “Mr. Perry grabbed Mr. Rodriguez’s leg right along his penis, [and] while rub[bing] it Perry would say, ‘It’s alright.'”
Perry’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, called the second lawsuit a shakedown and predicted it would be a “failed money grab.”
Rodriguez’s claims faced scrutiny after the filing when texts emerged from him begging the filmmaker for money to help pay medical bills.
The insider told RadarOnline.com Hollywood’s elite are avoiding Perry like the plague: “No one wants to be the first celebrity photographed standing next to him if this gets worse.”
