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Podcaster and online personality Tasha K recently claimed that Tyler Perry was dating a female cast member from one of his shows and using her as an alleged "beard." This came after Perry was accused of sexual assault by Derek Dixon, an actor who previously worked with the filmmaker on shows like Ruthless and The Oval.
On June 13, 2025, Dixon filed a $260 million lawsuit against Perry, alleging that the latter used his influence to foster a "coercive, sexually exploitative dynamic" that resulted in "escalating sexual harassment, assault and battery, and professional retaliation" when he didn't reciprocate Perry's "unwanted advances," as reported by the BBC.
On June 19, Tasha K discussed the lawsuit and the allegations against Tyler Perry on her podcast Unwine With Tasha K, where she claimed that Perry was allegedly dating Crystal Renee Hayslett, his female cast member, and using her as a "beard."
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Hayslett is an actress and costume designer who has acted in many of Tyler Perry's projects, including Sistas and Zatima.
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a beard is described as "a person who appears to be in a relationship with someone and is used to create a false idea about them, for example, to hide the fact that they are gay or are in another relationship."
"I heard personally from a very well-credited source that not only is this particular lawsuit true, not only is he courting Mariah Carey's ex, but guess what, he's apparently dating a female cast from one of his shows. Her, Crystal Renee. Everybody talking about that in the room, that she is his public girlfriend. She is a beard, allegedly," Tasha K said.
She continued:
"So you mean to tell me, it's okay for him to date Crystal Renee, and she works for him. Probably has a lavish lifestyle, this is Tyler Perry. 'I don't have to take no d**k from him, all I have to do is be a look.' She gets leads in shows, and all she has to do is just smile at red carpets and make him appear straight?"
Crystal Renee Hayslett worked as Tyler Perry's stylist before she began her acting career
According to her IMDb profile, Crystal Renee Hayslett was born in 1982 in Martin, Tennessee. She reportedly graduated from the University of Tennessee. During her January 2025 interview on the Angie Martinez Radio show, Hayslett revealed that she first began working with Tyler Perry as a production assistant on his team.
From there, she shifted to costume designing and soon became Perry's stylist. Some of her projects as a costume designer include A Madea Family Funeral, The Paynes and Acrimony.
However, she revealed that her true love was acting, adding that she was auditioning for roles while working as a costume designer.
Hayslett continued that she finally approached Tyler Perry and told him that she wanted to be a part of his projects as an actor. In 2019, she was cast as Fatima Wilson on Perry's comedy-drama series, Sistas, becoming a series regular from the second season. She reprised her role in the show's spin-off, Zatima.
Hayslett also hosts a podcast titled Keep It Positive, Sweetie. She invited Tyler Perry as a guest in September 2023, which she dubbed a "full circle moment" for her.
There is not a lot of public information about Hayslett's personal life. However, there have been rumors of her and Perry dating circa 2023, but no official source confirmed these speculations at the time.
Exploring Tyler Perry's sexual assault lawsuit
According to AP News, actor Derek Dixon filed a sexual assault lawsuit against Tyler Perry at a Los Angeles Superior Court on June 13, accusing the filmmaker of leveraging his "industry power" to sexually harass him.
“Mr. Perry took his success and power and used his considerable influence in the entertainment industry to create a coercive, sexually exploitative dynamic with Mr. Dixon — initially promising him career advancement and creative opportunities, such as producing his pilot and casting him in his show, only to subject him to escalating sexual harassment, assault and battery, and professional retaliation,” the lawsuit stated.
As per the court documents, Tyler Perry allegedly noticed Dixon at a party in 2019 and offered him an audition. The actor was first cast in a small role on Perry's TV series Ruthless, before snagging a bigger role in the series The Oval.
Dixon alleged that he started receiving unwanted sexual messages from Perry around that time, with the lawsuit including several screenshots of said messages.
The lawsuit claimed the actor tried to "tiptoe around Mr. Perry’s sexual aggression" while trying to remain in his good books. However, the suit alleged that the situation escalated, and Perry allegedly sexually assaulted Dixon multiple times.
According to one alleged incident, Perry “forcibly pulled off Mr. Dixon’s clothing, groped his buttocks, and attempted to force himself on Dixon."
Meanwhile, Tyler Perry denied the allegations via a statement through his attorney, Matthew Boyd, on June 17.
“This is an individual who got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be nothing more than setting up a scam. But Tyler will not be shaken down, and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail,” Boyd said.
The Oval is a 2019 political drama series directed, written, and executive produced by Tyler Perry. The BET show, starring Ed Quinn, Derek Dixon, and Kron Moore, recently wrapped up its sixth season in March 2025.
