Paula Abdul Claims She Was Being Assaulted While You Watched Her On American Idol
Paula Abdul is straight up now telling us that she was sexually assaulted during her tenure on American Idol. The ’80s pop sensation alleged in a lawsuit filed last week that Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe assaulted her numerous times while she was a judge on not only American Idol but So You Think You Can Dance as well. Lythgoe, however, denies any wrongdoing.
The 74-year-old producer recently told TMZ, “To say that I am shocked and saddened by the allegations made against me by Paula Abdul is a wild understatement.” Lythgoe maintains that he and the 61-year-old singer have maintained a professional, albeit friendly relationship for over two decades. Nigel stressed that their interactions have always been entirely platonic in nature.
Constant belittling at the hands of fellow Idol judge Simon Cowell helped to shape the audience’s perception of Paula as a “ditz” and fueled rumors of her alleged alcoholism.
Lythgoe called Paula Abdul’s accusations “false,” and “deeply offensive.” Nigel claimed Abdul’s “history of erratic behavior is well known” and vowed to fight what he calls an “appalling smear” with everything he has.
While the Idol producer didn’t elaborate on the “erratic behavior,” we can take a guess as to what he was referring to. During Paula Abdul’s time as a judge on American Idol, she was often accused of being drunk—or worse—on set, something Abdul has always maintained could be chalked up to her natural goofy demeanor. Constant belittling at the hands of fellow Idol judge Simon Cowell helped to shape the audience’s perception of Paula as a “ditz” and fueled rumors of her alleged alcoholism.
“To say that I am shocked and saddened by the allegations made against me by Paula Abdul is a wild understatement.”
Nigel Lythgoe on Abdul’s allegations against him
Lythgoe could also have been referring to Paula Abdul’s alleged affair with ex-Idol contestant Corey Clark. The singer was alleged to have had an intimate relationship with Clark in the mid-2000s, something she firmly denies. Of course, the particulars of Abdul’s “erratic behavior” don’t matter as much as the picture of Paula as an “unreliable narrator” that the descriptor paints.
It’s a common tactic when a man is accused of sexual misconduct to then try to discredit his accuser in any way possible. “She’s a liar,” or in Abdul’s case, “She’s crazy! Look at all the insane crap she’s pulled!” This is in no way meant to say that Nigel Lythgoe is guilty of Paula’s allegations, but simply that his defense is eerily similar to that of admitted sexual predators.
The Accusations
Paula Abdul’s suit alleges that the producer assaulted her on at least two occasions and harassed her on several more. The “Opposites Attract” singer claimed that during her early years on American Idol, Lythgoe groped her breasts and genitals while the two of them were alone in an elevator. Abdul also accused Nigel of forcing himself on her at one point during her time on So You Think You Can Dance after inviting her to his home under the guise of a legitimate business meeting.
Abdul further alleged that in 2015, on the set of So You Think You Can Dance, she witnessed Lythgoe non-consensually groping one of her assistants. Paula also accused Lythgoe of “taunting” her by calling her on the phone and inviting her out to celebrate because it had been “seven years” since the sexual assault and that “the statute of limitations” had run out.
Lythgoe denies all of it and claims the accusations came completely “out of the blue.” He also accused Paula Abdul of filing a lawsuit that she knew was false.
No one else involved with either Idol or Dance has spoken about the allegations publicly, but that may change as things progress.
Source: TMZ
