Paula Abdul is making shocking claims against ‘American Idol’ producer Nigel Lythgoe, filing a lawsuit accusing him of sexually assaulting her on more than one occasion.
Abdul filed the lawsuit at a Los Angeles courthouse on Friday (December 29) and detailed two incidents where Lythgoe allegedly got physical and forceful with her.
Stay with us to find out what Abdul alleges happened and how Nigel is responding.
Paula Abdul’s Allegations Against Nigel Lythgoe
The former judge of the popular talent show from 2002 to 2009 alongside Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell described an incident where she shared an elevator with the producer during one of the show’s “initial seasons” in the early 2000s.
According to a report from Deadline, Abdul claims that when the doors closed, Lythgoe pushed her against the wall and “grabbed her genitals and breasts” before shoving his tongue down her throat.
Although Abdul reportedly reported the incident to her representatives, she chose not to pursue legal action due to fear that Lythgoe would have her fired from ‘Idol.’
Referring to the lawsuit, it states that “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 also claims Abdul faced discrimination in terms of compensation, benefits, and harassment compared to her male counterparts on the show.
Another Disturbing Incident
In 2015, Abdul was a judge on ‘So You Think You Can Dance,’ another competition series that Lythgoe was executive producing at the time.
Allegedly, Abdul suffered another sexual assault incident when Lythgoe “forced himself on top of Abdul while she was seated on his couch” and significantly attempted to kiss her while proclaiming that the two would make an excellent ‘power couple.”
The lawsuit also named Abdul’s assistant, April, who allegedly suffered a separate incident of sexual assault by Lythgoe in April 2015. The lawsuit stated that “One evening, Lythgoe approached Abdul and April from behind, pressed himself up against April, and began to grope her. April did not consent.”
