Keisha Lance Bottoms made history as Georgia’s first Black woman governor. Then she used her first days in power to protect an accused predator.
Bottoms has named Tyler Perry to her transition team, a stunning decision given that the filmmaker faces two separate sexual assault lawsuits from actors who worked for him.
The Accusations
Actor Derek Dixon, who appeared in several Perry productions, filed a lawsuit in June 2025 alleging that Perry subjected him to numerous instances of sexual battery and assault dating back to 2021. According to the lawsuit, Perry “has been using his power and influence to molest, abuse, and sexually assault impressionable and vulnerable employees and actors who look to him for guidance and mentorship while pursuing their dreams.” Dixon is seeking $260 million in damages.
Then, in December 2025, actor Mario Rodriguez filed a $77 million sexual battery lawsuit against Perry and Lionsgate. Chummy text messages between Rodriguez and Perry after the alleged misconduct later emerged, but the lawsuit remains active.
Defenders will point to those text messages. But victims of powerful men often maintain contact out of fear, confusion, or a desperate hope that the abuse was an anomaly. The text messages do not erase the allegations, they just make the story more complicated.
The Announcement
Bottoms made the announcement during a press conference Friday, describing Perry as “an entertainment mogul who is also a huge philanthropic part of our Georgia community and owns Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta.”
She said it without hesitation. No acknowledgment of the lawsuits. No acknowledgment of the accusers. Just praise for a billionaire whose studio is a major economic engine in Atlanta.
The Hypocrisy
Bottoms ran as a foil to Donald Trump. She campaigned on accountability. She campaigned on protecting vulnerable communities. She campaigned on standing up to powerful men who abuse their power. Then she went and put one on her transition team.
During her campaign, Bottoms promised to stand for vulnerable Georgians and hold powerful men accountable. Her appointment of Perry, who has been accused of using his power to abuse vulnerable employees, raises questions about whether those promises were campaign rhetoric or genuine commitments.
The message here is that in Georgia, power is still protected. The accusers do not matter, nor do the lawsuits. What matters is that Tyler Perry owns a studio and writes checks. And Keisha Lance Bottoms is now the governor who gave him a seat at the table.
The Bottom Line
Bottoms ran as a foil to Donald Trump. She campaigned on accountability. She campaigned on protecting vulnerable communities. She campaigned on standing up to powerful men who abuse their power. Then she put one on her transition team.
During her campaign, Bottoms promised to stand for vulnerable Georgians and hold powerful men accountable. Her appointment of Perry, who has been accused of using his power to abuse vulnerable employees, raises questions about whether those promises were campaign rhetoric or genuine commitments.
The message is unmistakable. In Georgia, power is still protected. The accusers do not matter. The lawsuits do not matter. What matters is that Tyler Perry owns a studio and writes checks. And Keisha Lance Bottoms is now the governor who gave him a seat at the table.
My Opinion
Keisha Lance Bottoms just told every survivor in Georgia exactly the type of person she is.
She ran as the anti-Trump, ran on accountability, ran on standing up to powerful men and then, before she even took office, she handed a key role to a man accused of molesting his employees.
Tyler Perry is a billionaire who has been accused, in two separate lawsuits, of using his power to abuse vulnerable actors who looked up to him. One accuser says Perry molested him. The other says Perry sexually battered him and that Lionsgate covered it up. These are not rumors. These are legal filings. These are people who put their names on court documents and risked their careers to speak out.
And Bottoms’ response? She praised him. She put him on her transition team, called him a “huge philanthropic part” of the community and said nothing about the accusers and the lawsuits. She also said nothing about the pattern of allegations that have followed Perry for years.
Maybe Perry is innocent. Maybe the lawsuits are lies. But if Bottoms believed that, she should have said so. Instead, she ignored the allegations entirely, as if they were an inconvenience to be managed rather than a serious matter to be addressed.
There are hundreds of qualified people in Georgia who could serve on a transition team without bringing sexual assault lawsuits into the new administration. But Bottoms chose Perry anyway.
