The actor, who starred in Tyler Perry's “Boo! Madea's Halloween,” allegedly confessed to the media mogul about health and financial problems months before he filed a $77 million sexual assault lawsuit against the billionaire actor-director last week.
The actor, identified in court documents as Mario Rodriguez, sued Perry on Thursday for sexual assault and sexual battery in connection with multiple alleged encounters in 2015 and 2019. The 23-page civil complaint, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleges that Rodriguez ceased contact with Perry in 2019 and that the director “casually approached Mr. Rodriguez” until 2024.
Screenshots of text messages obtained by several outlets, including The Associated Press, appear to show otherwise.
Rodriguez began corresponding with Perry as recently as August of this year. In a statement Monday, Rodriguez said that “people are pointing to posts where I was polite, grateful or vulnerable and trying to use that to discredit me.”
“Survivors often remain cordial. They often seek help when they feel desperate,” he added. “That doesn't mean abuse didn't happen. These text messages were sent to Perry at a time when I was particularly vulnerable, as the context suggests.”
Associated Press On Monday, it was reported that Rodriguez expressed his gratitude to Perry in a message sent during Thanksgiving 2024. “Just know that I love you and thank you for everything, I appreciate you to the moon,” Rodriguez said in one message, according to screenshots posted Monday by the site TMZ.
In a separate message chain sent on Aug. 31, Rodriguez informed Perry of his ongoing health issues, adding that he does not have health insurance. “I know I promised you that I would never ask you for anything, but if this is what I think, I don't think I can do it on my own because I barely pay my bills,” Rodriguez said in one message, according to TMZ.
“I just can’t go to the doctor because I can’t even afford it,” Rodriguez said in another text message in August. “I don't want anything. I just want everything to be okay. I'm afraid, brother.”
Perry's lawyer, Alex Spiro, said in a statement Monday: “I've said it before and I'll say it again. This is nothing more than a $77 million scam.”
Rodriguez's suit came after The Oval. actor Derek Dixon sued Perry in Junealleging quid pro quo sexual harassment, sexual battery, retaliation and more. Dixon is seeking $260 million in damages.
Rodriguez alleges in his lawsuit that Perry, 56, used his Hollywood status “to abuse and sexually assault people hoping to land roles in his films,” repeating allegations Dixon made in his June statement. Rodriguez also claims that Perry did not rehire him for future projects because he rejected the director's sexual advances. Rodriguez and Dixon are represented by attorney Jonathan J. Delshad.
According to the new lawsuit, Rodriguez started out as a model before a trainer approached him at a luxury gym in 2015 and introduced him to Perry for a potential role in the movie Boo! Madea's Halloween. Before Rodriguez auditioned and landed the supporting role, Perry allegedly told him, “I'm a good guy to know and have in your corner,” and touted the idea of more roles in the future.
The lawsuit alleges that the mogul first raped Rodriguez at Perry's Los Angeles home in 2015. They began drinking together before Perry invited the actor-model to his home theater to watch a movie, the document states. Perry, who asked Rodriguez to leave his phone in the kitchen, allegedly asked the actor about his personal life and began hugging him and complimenting his appearance. He allegedly began rubbing Rodriguez's shoulders and chest while making sexual noises, the lawsuit says. After Rodriguez tried to distance himself, Perry allegedly continued to touch the actor, “rubbing his inner thigh near his penis,” the complaint states.
The sexual assaults against the director continued, the lawsuit alleges, for years after he and Rodriguez completed work on the 2016 film Madea. Rodriguez returned to Los Angeles and remained in contact with Perry, who invited Rodriguez to visit his home again to discuss future projects, the lawsuit says.
“After several visits, Mr. Perry again began making more sexual comments to Mr. Rodriguez” about his appearance “and asking him sexually explicit questions,” including whether he had ever had sex with another man, the lawsuit says. Perry allegedly grabbed Rodriguez's leg again near his genitals, the complaint states.
In November 2018, Rodriguez accepted another invitation from Perry to discuss a potential role in the TV series The Oval. They met for dinner in Beverly Hills, where Perry allegedly asked, “So what are we doing? What are we doing?” before the director assigned Rodriguez to meet him at his Los Angeles home later that evening.
Conversations about a potential partnership turned sexual, the lawsuit says, when Perry asked Rodriguez if he liked oral sex and whether he had performed oral sex on a man. According to the complaint, Perry allegedly hugged Rodriguez tightly, tried to unzip the actor's pants, reached into his underwear and grabbed his penis. Before Rodriguez left Perry's house as a hitchhiker, the director put $5,000 in his pocket, the lawsuit says.
Perry continued to invite Rodriguez to his Los Angeles home under the guise of work and sexually abused the actor in the following months, the lawsuit says. After another incident in April 2019, the lawsuit says, Rodriguez stopped communicating with Perry.
Perry allegedly became furious with Rodriguez's attempts to keep his distance and sent the actor messages filled with expletives. The lawsuit includes screenshots of the alleged conversations, including one in which Rodriguez apologizes for not communicating with the director about personal matters.
“I deserve a message on [least] once a month,” the lawsuit says, Perry texted Rodriguez. He also asked the actor about his fitness and asked to see photos, the complaint says.
Regarding Perry's posts he posted, Rodriguez added in a statement that “ongoing financial support and access are not incompatible with abuse – they are often part of the power dynamics that ensues.”
He added: “The existence of financial assistance does not negate the harm. It is entirely consistent with the complex realities that survivors face.”
Rodriguez also sued Perry for intentional infliction of emotional distress and sued the distributor of “Boo! A Madea Halloween” Lionsgate for negligent retention.
