Paula Abdul Accuses Former “American Idol” Producer of Sexual Assault
Los Angeles – In a new lawsuit, Paula Abdul has accused former “American Idol” producer Nigel Lythgoe of sexually assaulting her in the early 2000s. Abdul, who was a judge on the reality competition show at the time, also claims that Lythgoe assaulted her after she left “American Idol” and became a judge on his other show, “So You Think You Can Dance.”
The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles on Friday, alleges that Lythgoe sexually assaulted Abdul on multiple occasions. The Associated Press generally does not identify alleged victims of sexual assault unless they come forward publicly, as Abdul has done.
Abdul’s lawyer, Douglas Johnson, commended her for speaking out publicly and stated that she is determined to see justice served. Lythgoe, in a statement, expressed shock and sadness at the allegations made by Abdul, whom he considered a dear friend. He denied the accusations and vowed to fight against what he called an “appalling smear.”
According to the lawsuit, Abdul remained silent about the alleged assaults for years due to fear of retaliation from Lythgoe, who is known as one of the most well-known producers of television competition shows. Lythgoe’s career includes producing the British show “Pop Idol,” which later became a global franchise that includes the U.S. version starring Abdul.
The first assault, as described in the lawsuit, occurred while Abdul and Lythgoe were on the road filming auditions for an earlier season of “American Idol.” Abdul claims that Lythgoe groped her in an elevator and forcefully kissed her. She immediately reported the incident to one of her representatives but decided not to take action out of fear of being fired from the show.
Abdul, a Grammy- and Emmy-winning artist, served as a judge on “American Idol” for the first eight seasons before leaving in 2009. She later joined Lythgoe as a judge on “So You Think You Can Dance” in 2015 but left after two seasons and has not worked with him since.
The lawsuit also alleges that Lythgoe taunted Abdul about the assaults, claiming that they should celebrate because the statute of limitations had expired. Abdul filed the lawsuit just before the December 31 deadline set by a California law that allows victims to file lawsuits involving sexual abuse claims after the statute of limitations has expired.
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