Paula Abdul accuses 'American Idol' producer Nigel Lythgoe of sexual assault in lawsuit
- Paula Abdul sued former "American Idol" and "So You Think You Can Dance" executive producer Nigel Lythgoe.
- Abdul, 61, accused Lythgoe, 74, of sexual assault in a lawsuit filed Friday obtained by Business Insider.
Paula Abdul accused Nigel Lythgoe, a former "American Idol" producer, of sexually assaulting her twice in a lawsuit filed Friday, obtained by Business Insider.
Abdul, 61, gained fame in the 1980s with songs like "Straight Up" and later starred as a main judge on "American Idol" from 2002 to 2009. Lythgoe, 74, created and later served as a judge on "So You Think You Can Dance" after producing "American Idol."
In the lawsuit, filed in the Superior Court of the State of California, Abdul alleges that Lythgoe sexually assaulted her in an elevator during an early season of "American Idol." She accused Lythgoe of pushing her against an elevator wall, groping her breast and genitals, and "shoving his tongue down her throat," the lawsuit says. Abdul said she tried to push the producer away and ran to her hotel room after the elevator opened on her floor, per the lawsuit.
Abdul's attorney, Douglas Johnson, released a statement on Saturday lauding his client for coming forward with her allegations.
"Ms. Abdul should be commended for the immense courage required to take action against the type of abuse that was inflicted upon her," Johnson said, "particularly when the alleged abuser is a figure so dominant in her profession. It was clearly a difficult decision to make, but Ms. Abdul knows that she stands both in the shoes and on the shoulders of many other similarly situated survivors, and she is determined to see that justice is done."
Lythgoe reacted to the lawsuit in a statement to Business Insider.
"To say that I am shocked and saddened by the allegations made against me by Paula Abdul is a wild understatement," Lythgoe wrote. "For more than two decades, Paula and I have interacted as dear —and entirely platonic — friends and colleagues. Yesterday, however, out of the blue, I learned of these claims in the press and I want to be clear: not only are they false, they are deeply offensive to me and to everything I stand for."According to the suit, Abdul accused Lythgoe of sexually assaulting her a second time years later, when Abdul served as a judge on "So You Think You Can Dance."
Abdul alleged in the lawsuit that Lythgoe invited her to dinner at his home, and she agreed because she believed the meeting would be professional. Abdul alleged in the lawsuit that instead, Lythgoe forced himself on top of her on a couch, tried to kiss her, and told her they would be a "power couple." Abdul said in the lawsuit that she pushed Lythgoe away and left the home.
In the lawsuit, Abdul also accused Lythgoe of sexually assaulting one of her assistants in April 2015 and accused him of verbal harassment and bullying. Abdul alleged in the lawsuit that she faced discrimination, was paid less than the male judges on "American Idol," and that the show was edited in a way that made her appear incompetent.
"For years, Abdul has remained silent about the sexual assaults and harassment she experienced on account of Lythgoe due to fear of speaking out against one of the most well-known producers of television competition shows who could easily break her career as a television personality and of being ostracized and blackballed by an industry that had a pattern of protecting powerful men and silencing survivors of sexual assault and harassment," the lawsuit says.
The suit says Abdul signed non-disclosure agreements as part of her "American Idol" and "So You Think You Can Dance" contracts, which did not allow her to disclose confidential or derogatory information.
The lawsuit alleged that Lythgoe's behavior was common knowledge, citing a MADtv parody in which Lythgoe appeared to harass contestants. Business Insider could not verify the MADtv clip at the time of publication.
In addition to Lythgoe, Abdul sued 19 Entertainment, FremantleMedia North America, American Idol Productions, and Dance Nation Productions, alleging in the lawsuit that the entities failed to discipline Lythgoe.
Representatives for 19 Entertainment, FremandleMedia North America, and American Idol Productions did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment made outside regular business hours. Dance Nation Productions could not immediately be reached by Business Insider.
Abdul filed the lawsuit under California's Sexual Abuse and Cover-Up Accountability Act, which granted people one year to file sexual abuse claims that would otherwise be outside the statute of limitations. The deadline is December 31, 2023. In November, singer Cassie filed a lawsuit against Sean "Diddy" Combs in New York under a similar act called the Adult Survivors Act.