Title: Paula Abdul Files Lawsuit Against Producer Nigel Lythgoe for Alleged Sexual Assault
By Richard Pollina, Published Dec. 30, 2023, 4:08 a.m. ET
Paula Abdul has filed a lawsuit against producer Nigel Lythgoe for sexually assaulting her multiple times after joining “American Idol” in the early 2000s.
Abdul, 61, claims Lythgoe, 74, had sexually assaulted her during one of the “initial seasons” of “American Idol” and then again in 2014 while they served as judges on “So You Think You Can Dance,” according to the lawsuit obtained by The Post.
Lythgoe produced “American Idol” during the peak of the show’s popularity in the 2000s and was last listed as a producer for the talent-based singing show in 2014. From 2005 to 2014, Lythgoe was listed as the producer and co-creator of “So You Think You Can Dance.”
Abdul alleges Lythgoe committed the first sexual assault in a hotel elevator during the audition stage of American Idol’s earlier seasons.
“Lythgoe shoved Abdul against the wall, then grabbed her genitals and breasts, and began shoving his tongue down her throat,” the suit claims. “Abdul attempted to push Lythgoe away from her. When the doors to the elevator for her door opened, Abdul ran out of the elevator and to her hotel room. Abdul quickly called one of her representatives in tears to inform them of the assault.”
During the second alleged assault, Abdul claims Lythgoe sexually assaulted her at his home after inviting her for dinner in 2014.
“Believing this to be a professional invitation, Abdul accepted,” the lawsuit said. “Toward the end of the evening, Lythgoe forced himself on top of Abdul while she was seated on his couch and attempted to kiss her while proclaiming that the two would make an excellent ‘power couple,’” the suit alleges. “Abdul pushed Lythgoe off of her, explaining that she was not interested in his advances, and immediately left.”
Still fearful of Lythgoe’s power as an executive, the “Cold Hearted” singer again claimed she remained silent about the alleged assault, fearing she’d be “blackballed” if she spoke out.
Abdul claims she witnessed Lythgoe sexually assault one of her assistants, identified in the suit as “April,” while they filmed for “So You Think You Can Dance” in 2015.
The lawsuit includes the shows’ production companies American Idol Productions, Dance Nation Productions, 19 Entertainment, and FremantleMedia North America.
The suit also alleges Lythgoe “verbally insulted and belittled” Abdul when she met with executives about launching “American Idol” in 2001, allegedly telling the music icon she was a “has been” who “probably wouldn’t be known by the show’s contestants.”
The “Knocked Out” singer is suing Lythgoe for sexual assault and battery, sexual harassment, gender violence, and negligence.
The Post has reached out to Lythgoe’s representatives for comment. Production companies American Idol Productions, Dance Nation Productions, 19 Entertainment, and FremantleMedia North America were also listed as defendants in the suit.
The lawsuit comes as a plethora of highest-profile figures file sexual abuse suits after New York and California passed legislation to waive the statute of limitations on those claims temporarily.
Sean “Diddy” Combs, Axl Rose, and Jermaine Jackson have also had suits filed against them in the past months over alleged sexual assaults.