Warning: This article contains mentions of sexual assault.
Tyler Perry’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, is standing firm in his belief that his client is the victim of a “money grab scam.” This comes four days after Mario Rodriguez, a model and actor who appeared in Perry’s Boo! A Madea Halloween back in 2016, filed a $77 million lawsuit against the actor for alleged sexual assault, sexual battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Rodriguez filed the lawsuit on Christmas Day, making him the second actor in the last year to accuse Perry of unwanted sexual advances. The first was Derek Dixon, an actor from Perry’s TV series The Oval and Ruthless, who filed a $260 million lawsuit against Perry in June citing multiple unwanted advances and a pattern of inappropriate behavior.
“I said it before and I will say it again,” Spiro told People in a December 29 statement. “This is nothing but a 77 million dollar money grab scam.” Perry’s attorneys similarly denied the claims made by Dixon, previously telling People, “Tyler will not be shaken down and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail.” Now, newly-surfaced text messages allegedly sent between Perry and Rodriguez are shining a light on the conversations the men had leading up to the filing of Rodriguez’s lawsuit. While the lawsuit claims that Rodriguez ceased contact with Perry in 2019, the messages suggest that the men spoke as recently as August 2025.
Texts allegedly sent in November 2024 suggest that Rodriguez expressed gratitude to Perry on multiple occasions for getting him out of “a lot of bad places.” A string of texts from August 2025 further allege that Rodriguez reached out to Perry about a number of health issues, including confusion, nausea, complications with his teeth, and concerns about potential sepsis. Rodriguez allegedly bemoaned his lack of health insurance and consistent income, resulting in an inability to see a doctor about his ailments. His lawsuit, meanwhile, claims that it was Perry who routinely reached out to him “through 2024,” with meetings between 2017 and 2019 resulting in uncomfortable questions from Perry as well as unwanted physical contact.
While the alleged texts complicate the timeline of events, as well as the relationship between Perry and Rodriguez, the suit maintains that Perry used his power and position to take advantage of Rodriguez after giving him professional opportunities like playing “Frat Guy #10” in Boo! A Madea Halloween.
Mario Rodriguez Responds To the Alleged Tyler Perry Texts
Hours after the alleged texts between Tyler Perry and Mario Rodriguez surfaced, Rodriguez responded in a statement obtained by People, saying:
“I want to briefly respond to what’s being said about me right now. People are pointing to messages where I was polite, grateful, or vulnerable – and trying to use that to discredit me. When someone has influence over your career, your income, your future, you don’t feel free. Survivors often stay cordial. They often ask for help when they feel desperate. That does not mean abuse didn’t happen. Those text messages were sent to Perry at a time when I was especially vulnerable as can be seen from the context. Continued financial support and access are not inconsistent with abuse – they are often part of the power dynamics that follow it. In many situations involving exploitation, money can function as a way to manage guilt, avoid conflict, or maintain silence. The existence of financial assistance does not disprove harm. It is entirely consistent with the complex realities survivors face after abuse.”
Rodriguez is being represented by Jonathan J. Delshad, the same attorney representing actor Derek Dixon. In addition to his role in Boo! A Madea Halloween, Rodriguez has also appeared in nine episodes of Carl Weber’s The Family Business on BET+. Perry, meanwhile, remains the billionaire founder and owner of Tyler Perry Studios, maintaining creative and financial control over the 330-acre complex in Atlanta. Delshad has confirmed that Dixon’s case against Perry is being relocated from California to Georgia while Rodriguez’s lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
If you or someone you know needs help related to sexual assault, you can call the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or chat with someone on the RAINN website.
