Nigel Lythgoe once joked that he wanted to ‘abuse’ Paula Abdul
Nigel Lythgoe and Paula Abdul.
Getty Images (2)Almost eight years earlier Paula Abdul accused Nigel Lythgoe of sexual assault, he made a questionable joke about their relationship.
After Abdul, now 61, joined the So you think you can dance panel in 2015, she and Lythgoe, now 74, spoke with We weekly and other reporters about working together on the show.
“What chemistry? But actually, we’ve known each other for so long,” Lythgoe joked Us in January 2015. “I was always an admirer of Paula in the UK before I came here, and to be able to work with her [as an executive producer] on Idol all these years and see how she was abused by Simon [Cowell].”
Lythgoe worked behind the scenes American Idol during the early seasons, when Abdul served as a judge alongside Cowell Randy Jackson. Abdul, who eventually left the singing show in 2009, jokingly said she was “abused” by Cowell.
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Lythgoe, in turn, corrected himself during the press conference. “Abused and mistreated,” he added. “I wanted to be the next person to abuse her even more.”
The derogatory comment subsequently resurfaced Us confirmed on Saturday, December 30, that Abdul had filed a lawsuit against Lythgoe, accusing him of sexual assault/abuse, sexual harassment, gender violence and negligence. She alleged that he sexually assaulted her twice, once when they were working together American Idol and a second time during their shared SYTYCD employment around 2015.
Nigel Lythgoe and Paula Abdul.
Jason Kempin/Getty Images for amfARLythgoe vehemently denied Abdul’s allegations, calling them “highly offensive” and “untrue.”
“To say that I am shocked and saddened by the allegations made against me by Paula Abdul is a wild understatement. For more than twenty years, Paula and I have worked together as dear – and completely platonic – friends and colleagues,” Lythgoe shared. Us in a statement. “Yesterday, however, I learned of these claims in the press out of the blue and I want to be clear: not only are they false, they are deeply offensive to me and everything I stand for.”
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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 added: “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.”
The lawsuit against Abdul was filed under California’s Sexual Abuse and Cover-Up Accountability Act, which gave victims a year to file sexual abuse lawsuits that would otherwise fall outside the statute of limitations. The deadline ends on Sunday, December 31.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).