Offensive: 'Idol' producer Nigel Lythgoe on Paula Abdul's assault claims
Nigel Lythgoe, a former producer of American Idol, is facing sexual assault allegations leveled by singer-actor-choreographer and former judge Paula Abdul. On Friday (local time), Abdul filed a lawsuit against Lythgoe in which she claimed he assaulted her multiple times during the show's early seasons. Lythgoe—who also produced So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD)—has strongly denied these allegations, calling them "false" and "deeply offensive, in a statement to TMZ. He plans to prove his innocence in court.
First, know details of alleged incidents
Trigger warning: Sexual abuse. Adul's lawsuit alleges Lythgoe assaulted Abdul in a hotel elevator while traveling for American Idol auditions. It claimed he "shoved Abdul against the wall, then grabbed her genitals and breasts, and began shoving his tongue down her throat." Another incident allegedly occurred when Abdul was a SYTYCD judge after signing a new contract in 2015. She claimed Lythgoe invited her home for dinner under the guise of a professional meeting but tried to kiss her.
'Battery, gender violence': Additional claims in the lawsuit
Abdul's lawsuit also claimed she saw Lythgoe sexually assault one of her assistants named April in 2015. Additionally, she alleged that Lythgoe verbally insulted and belittled her before she officially joined American Idol as a judge in April 2002. Throughout her eight seasons on the show, Abdul felt "discriminated against" but did not speak up due to fear of retaliation from Lythgoe. Notably, besides multiple sexual assault incidents, she also accused him of battery, gender violence, and negligence.
'I'm shocked and saddened is a wild understatement': Lythgoe
Lythgoe told TMZ that he was shocked and saddened by Abdul's accusations. "To say that I am shocked and saddened by the allegations made against me by [Abdul] is a wild understatement," he stated. The producer emphasized that their relationship has always been platonic and friendly. However, Lythgoe also mentioned Abdul's history of "erratic behavior," adding he could not comprehend why she would file a "lawsuit that she must know is untrue."
Lythgoe denounced Abdul's allegations as 'false and offensive'
Lythgoe vehemently denied the allegations, stating, "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." Meanwhile, Lythgoe refrained from specifying Abdul's alleged "erratic behavior" he alluded to. But it appeared to be a veiled reference to Paula's purported involvement with former American Idol contestant Corey Clark in the mid-2000s—a claim she has denied.
