Nigel Lythgoe leaves ‘SYTYCD’ amid sexual assault lawsuits
Nigel Lythgoe officially resigns from his role as judge So you think you can dance in the wake of his multiple sexual abuse lawsuits.
“I have informed the producers of this So you think you can dance of my decision to withdraw from participation in this year’s series,” Lythgoe, 74, announced in a statement Variety on Friday January 5. “I did that with a heavy heart, but completely voluntarily, because this great program has always been about dance and dancers, and that is where the focus should remain. In the meantime, I am committed to clearing my name and restoring my reputation.”
Lythgoe’s announcement comes two months before the season 18 premiere SYTYCDthat will occur Allison Holker And Maksim Chmerkovskiy as judges. Fox and Sony Pictures Television’s 19 Entertainment confirmed this in a separate statement Variety that “no decision has been made regarding the replacement judge for this season.”
We weekly confirmed late last month that Lythgoe, who served as judge, was resigning SYTYCD was accused of sexual assault since its premiere in 2005 in a lawsuit filed by Paula Abdul. In court documents obtained by Rolling stoneAbdul, 61, claimed Lythgoe assaulted her several times over the years while they worked together American Idol And SYTYCD.
While Hollywood may seem all glitz and glamor at first glance, the industry has seen its fair share of scandals over the years. The New York Times and the New Yorker first published investigative pieces in 2017 accusing disgruntled film producer Harvey Weinstein of decades of sexual assault and harassment. Shortly afterwards, Weinstein stood trial and did so […]
Among her many accusations, Abdul claimed Lythgoe “verbally insulted and belittled” her before taking her away American Idol performance and that he continued to bully her during her time on the singing competition series. She also alleged that Lythgoe sexually assaulted her in a hotel elevator while she was traveling American Idol auditions, although she did not specify when the alleged incident occurred.
‘Abdul tried to push Lythgoe away from her. When the elevator doors opened in front of her, Abdul ran out of the elevator and into her hotel room,” according to the pop star’s court documents. “Abdul quickly called one of her representatives in tears to inform them of the attack.”
For his part, Lythgoe denied Abdul’s allegations. “To say that I am shocked and saddened by the allegations against me by Paula Abdul is a wild understatement,” he said in a statement dated Saturday, December 30, 2023 to Us. “For more than twenty years, Paula and I have worked together as dear – and entirely platonic – friends and colleagues. However, yesterday, out of the blue, I heard about these claims in the press and I want to be clear: not only are they false, they are deeply offensive to me and everything I stand for.”
Help find America’s favorite dancer! When So You Think You Can Dance debuted on FOX in 2005, a panel of dance experts and enthusiasts were called in to find the best emerging artists. Nigel Lythgoe, who co-created the dance competition series with Simon Fuller, has been one of the longtime judges since the season 1 premiere. However, […]
He continued, “While Paula’s history of erratic behavior is well known, I cannot pretend to understand exactly why she would file a lawsuit that she must know is not true. But I can promise that I will fight this terrible slander with everything I have.” (He did not elaborate on what he meant by “erratic behavior” at the time.)
Lythgoe was hit with a new sexual assault lawsuit earlier this week. According to multiple points of saletwo former contestants on the 2003 competition show All American girl claimed that Lythgoe took them to a house in Los Angeles, instead of a studio to meet others working on the series, after the show ended. It was there that one of the constants claimed Lythgoe tried to forcibly kiss her and put his tongue on her face. The lawsuit reportedly claims that the England native groped and punched the backsides of multiple people All American girl participants during filming.