Nigel Lythgoe's Past Comments About Wanting To 'Abuse' Paula Abdul Are Spreading Around Again After Her Sexual Assault Lawsuit
The 2015 interview resurfaced after the entertainer made accusations against her ex-colleague.
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:
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:
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:
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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.
Heidi Venable is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend, a mom of two and a hard-core '90s kid. She started freelancing for CinemaBlend in 2020 and officially came on board in 2021. Her job entails writing news stories and TV reactions from some of her favorite prime-time shows like Grey's Anatomy and The Bachelor. She graduated from Louisiana Tech University with a degree in Journalism and worked in the newspaper industry for almost two decades in multiple roles including Sports Editor, Page Designer and Online Editor. Unprovoked, will quote Friends in any situation. Thrives on New Orleans Saints football, The West Wing and taco trucks.