Former ‘American Idol’ judge Paula Abdul has filed a lawsuit against ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ boss Nigel Lythgoe for sexual assault.
According to legal documents obtained by the Blast, the ‘Straight Up’ singer claims Nigel Lythgoe “verbally insulated and belittled” her on several occasions, before he “sexually assaulted” her during one of the first seasons of ‘American Idol.’
In the filing, the singer claims it all began in or about early 2001 when Paula Abdul’s business manager was approached by FOX about an opportunity for Abdul to appear as a judge on ‘Pop Idol’, which was the soon-to-air American version of the British television singing competition show.
When she was approached by FOX, Abdul was just coming out of her six-year hiatus, which she took due to injuries she sustained in an accident. Because she needed to make her comeback, Abdul was “intrigued by the opportunity,” the docs state.
Nigel Lythgoe Accused Of Assaulting, Harassing Paula Abdul
Paula Abdul then met with executives and producers for the show, where she claims she was “verbally insulted and belittled by [Nigel] Lythgoe,” who was one of the executive producers of the competition show, ‘Pop Idol.’
In the suit, Abdul claims Lythgoe told her that “she was a ‘has been’ celebrity and probably wouldn’t be known by the show’s contestants.”
Despite Lythgoe’s discriminating comments, Abdul claims other producers and executives said “she was exactly what they were looking for,” but the singer left the meeting “with grave reservations about appearing on the show and informed her representatives about such concerns.”
At the end of the day, Abdul and her team decided to push Lythgoe’s comments to the side and take a chance on the show, hoping his actions were a “one-time” thing.
Paula Abdul Accuses Nigel Lythgoe Of Sexual Assault
In the new lawsuit, obtained by The Blast, Abdul claims that “during one of ‘American Idol”s initial seasons, while on the road for the show’s regional auditions, Lythgoe sexually assaulted her.
The docs continue, “One evening, following the day’s auditions, Lythgoe and Abdul entered the elevator of the hotel where they were staying. Upon entering the elevator, Lythgoe shoved Abdul against the wall, then grabbed her genitals and breasts, and began shoving his tongue down her throat. Abdul attempted to push Lythgoe away from her. When the doors to the elevator for her floor 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.”
On a second occasion, Paula claims she was assaulted while attending a dinner at the ‘American Idol’ boss’s house.
During the dinner, she says Lythgoe forced himself on top of her while she was seated on his couch and “attempted to kiss” her while proclaiming the two would make an excellent “power couple.”
Abdul “pushed him off, explaining she was not interested in his advances, and immediately left,” it states.
Again, she says the reporting of the incident was held back because of possible implications for her job and career.
Shockingly, she claims to not be the only one to have had to deal with the behavior. In the suit, she claims to have witnessed him sexually assault one of her assistants.
Paula Abdul Claims Nigel Lythgoe Discriminated Against Her
As you know, Paula Abdul’s participation in ‘American Idol’ as a judge on the show was a huge success, bringing in viewers among viewers for multiple seasons. In fact, “during her tenure on the show, which spanned eight seasons from 2002 to 2009, viewership and ratings for the show skyrocketed, hitting their peak between Seasons 5 and 8. Tellingly, ratings and viewership began to sink almost immediately following Abdul’s departure from the show,” the documents state.
It wasn’t long before Abdul realized Lythgoe’s comments and assault were not a “one-time” thing as the documents state:
“Throughout her tenure on ‘American Idol,’ Abdul not only was discriminated against in terms of compensation and benefits as compared to one of the show’s male judges and host (making nearly pennies to the dollar of what one of her male counterparts were making), but she was the target of constant taunts, bullying, humiliation, and harassment from Lythgoe and other executives, agents, employees, and/or representatives of the show’s producers, 19 Entertainment and Fremantle.”
Abdul went on to give an example in her lawsuit, stating that “show producers often edited or misleadingly displayed footage of Abdul that made her appear to television audiences as if she were inept, which was not true.” The docs also state that this was going on all while the producers knew that she was undergoing multiple spinal surgeries during her tenure on the show.
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