In a new lawsuit, Paula Abdul accuses “American Idol” producer Nigel Lythgoe of sexual assault.
In a recent lawsuit, Paula Abdul accused reality TV producer Nigel Lythgoe of sexual assault. According to court records obtained by Rolling Stone, Abdul, 61, alleged that Lythgoe, 74, had abused her several times when she was a judge on American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance. Abdul filed her case on December 29, a Friday. (Lythgoe has not responded to Abdul’s accusations in the public eye. Lythgoe and Abdul have been contacted by Us Weekly for comments.) Beginning in 2002, Abdul served as a judge for the first eight seasons of American Idol.
Conversely, Lythgoe produced the singing competition until 2014. In her lawsuit, Abdul asserted that at their initial meeting on her appointment as a judge, Lythgoe “verbally insulted and belittled” her and referred to her as a “has-been.” In addition, she said that after accepting the judging job, Lythgoe harassed her. Additionally, Abdul said that during one of the “initial seasons” of Idol, Lythgoe had sexually abused her in a hotel room elevator while they were traveling for auditions. Abdul stated that Lythgoe “pushed [her] against the wall” and touched her body, although he did not specify which year the incident occurred. Abdul made an effort to push Lythgoe away.
According to the court documents, Abdul fled the elevator as soon as the doors to her room opened and made her way to her hotel room. “Abdul immediately called one of her representatives, sobbing, to let them know about the attack.” Abdul claimed in her lawsuit that Lythgoe had the authority to fire her from American Idol, but she refrained from responding to the claims at the time due to fear of reprisals.
Abdul said that Lythgoe had attacked her again in 2014. This was some years after the first incident. She stated that Lythgoe “forced himself on top of [her]” and “attempted to kiss her” during a formal dinner meeting at his residence, to which she had been invited.
