Nigel Lythgoe Under Investigation By ‘SYTYCD’ Production Company In Light Of Sexual Assault Lawsuits

Two months before Season 18 of So You Think You Can Dance is slated to premiere on Fox, the series’ co-creator, lead judge and executive producer Nigel Lythgoe has become the subject of two sexual misconduct lawsuits, including one filed by Paula Abdul who accused him of assaulting her twice over the past 20 years.

Now Lythgoe is also the subject of a probe led by Sony Pictures TV’s 19 Entertainment, which co-produces SYTYCD with Dick Clark Productions, sources close to the situation confirm to Deadline.

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The investigation, first reported by TMZ, is currently getting underway. As SYTYCD producer, 19 Entertainment is listed as a defendant in Abdul’s suit, which alleges a 2015 incident during Season 12 of the dance competition at Lythgoe’s Los Angeles home. He has denied the accusations, calling them “untrue.”

The second lawsuit against Lythgoe is related to alleged sexual assault and harassment during the production of the short-lived ABC reality series All American Girl.

Season 18 of SYTYCD, in which Dancing with the Stars duo Allison Holker and Maksim Chmerkovskiy as well as SYTYCD alum Comfort Fedoke were announced to join Lythgoe on the judging panel, is scheduled to debut March 4 on Fox.

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