Paula Abdul has filed a bombshell lawsuit against American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe, claiming he sexually assaulted her twice.
The singer has alleged he sexually assaulted her during one of the early seasons of American Idol, and then in 2014 while she was hosting So You Think You Can Dance.
In documents obtained by Rolling Stone magazine, the 61-year-old claimed the producer sexually assaulted her in an elevator of a hotel they were staying at while travelling for the singing show’s auditions.
The lawsuit doesn’t state the year of the incident, but says that it was during one of American Idol’s “initial seasons”.
The documents claim: “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 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.”
The lawsuit claims Nigel sexually assaulted her again in 2014, when she was invited to his home for dinner.
The complainant said she only attended the dinner because she thought it was a “professional invitation”.
The suit claims: “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’. Abdul pushed Lythgoe off of her, explaining that she was not interested in his advances and immediately left.”
Paula also explained why she did not speak out sooner, and said that she feared it would affect her contracts on both American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance, which would severely impact her earnings.
The singer also claimed that both of her contracts stated that she was “prohibited from publicly disclosing sensitive information” regarding the shows and their business affairs.
Alongside her complaints, Paula also alleged that she witnessed Nigel sexually assault one of her assistants on So You Think You Can Dance in 2015.
In the suit, Paula claimed that Nigel “approached Abdul and April from behind pressed himself up against April and began to grope her. April did not consent.”
The singer also alleged that the producer would often joke about his behaviour on the phone to her, and tease her about incidents that happened.
The suit read: “He clearly knew that his assaults of Abdul were not just wrong but that he held the power to keep her silent.”
Nigel Lythgoe produced American Idol from 2002 to 2014, and So You Think You Can Dance from 2005 to 2014.
In addition to the producer, the shows’ production companies American Idol Productions, FremantleMedia North America, 19 Entertainment, and Dance Nation Productions, were also all listed as defendants in the suit.
Goss.ie has contacted Nigel’s reps for a comment.
