Paula Abdul took legal action recently, reporting two separate incidents of alleged sexual assault by Nigel Lythgoe, the famed producer behind such reality competitions as American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance. After the veteran dancer detailed the supposed encounters in a lawsuit, a 2015 interview with her and Lythgoe has resurfaced, drawing attention for one of Lythgoe’s comments, in which he joked about wanting to “abuse” the “Straight Up” singer.
Paula Abdul and Nigel Lythgoe worked together on the early seasons of American Idol, on which the ‘80s pop star served on the judging panel alongside Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson. Lythgoe, a producer on the singing competition, later reconnected with Abdul when she joined him as a judge on So You Think You Can Dance. The two spoke about their professional history with US Weekly back then with Lythgoe saying:
What chemistry? But really, we’ve known each other for so long now. I was always an admirer of Paula back in the U.K. before I came here, and to be able to work with her [as an executive producer] on Idol for all those years and see how she was mistreated by Simon [Cowell].
Simon Cowell was infamous for his blunt, often harsh critiques of the American Idol singers — though it turns out much of his rudeness was apparently faked for TV — while Paula Abdul took on more of a cheerleading role. That meant there were plenty of disagreements between the two in the competition’s early days, and Abdul joked in that 2015 interview that she had been “abused” by Cowell. In response, US Weekly reports that Nigel Lythgoe commented:
Abused and mistreated. I wanted to be the next person to abuse her some more.
Many are failing to find any humor in Nigel Lythgoe’s joke now, given the recent lawsuit. According to Paula Abdul, the first alleged assault happened in the early days of American Idol — which premiered on Fox in 2002. She says Lythgoe pushed her against a wall in a hotel, groping her breast and genitals as he tried to tongue-kiss her. Abdul reportedly tried to push him away and ran out of the room when a hotel door opened.
The second alleged incident occurred after she joined SYTYCD, with documents saying that Paula Abdul went to Nigel Lythgoe’s home for what she thought was a professional meeting, during which he reportedly tried to kiss her and force himself onto her body while she was sitting on a couch.
Further accusations against the television producer include Paula Abdul saying he groped one of her assistants, taunted Abdul over the “statute of limitations” running out, pay discrimination, and further bullying and harassment.
Nigel Lythgoe, who was announced to be returning as a So You Think You Can Dance judge for Season 18 — after being replaced by tWitch and JoJo Siwa in Season 17 — vehemently denied Paula Abdul's allegations, telling US Weekly:
To say that I am shocked and saddened by the allegations made against me by Paula Abdul is a wild understatement. For more than two decades, Paula and I have interacted as dear — and entirely platonic — friends and colleagues. Yesterday, however, out of the blue, I learned of these claims in the press and I want to be clear: not only are they false, they are deeply offensive to me and to everything I stand for. While Paula’s history of erratic behavior is well known, I can’t pretend to understand exactly why she would file a lawsuit that she must know is untrue. But I can promise that I will fight this appalling smear with everything I have.
We’ll have to see if this lawsuit affects production of SYTYCD’s upcoming season, which is set to premiere on Monday, March 4, on Fox. In the meantime, take a look at our 2024 TV schedule to see what other premieres are coming soon.
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