Paula Abdul Sues ‘American Idol’ Producer Nigel Lythgoe Over Sexual Assault Claims

Paula Abdul has sued Nigel Lythgoe, former American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance producer, claiming he sexually assaulted her twice.

The singer filed a lawsuit on Friday against Lythgoe and the show’s production companies, alleging that the producer sexually assaulted her during one of the early seasons of American Idol and years later when she was working as a judge on So You Think You Can Dance.

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In the court documents, Abdul alleges that Lythgoe subjected her to “verbal harassment and bullying” as well as “sexual abuse.”

Before she was cast as a judge on American Idol, the complaint said Abdul met with executives and producers for the show after her business manager was approached by Fox regarding a potential opportunity to appear as a judge. But during the meeting, the suit alleges Abdul was “verbally insulted and belittled by Lythgoe.”

Though she had concerns at the time, the complaint states that Abdul was “hoping his conduct was a one-time event, and decided to take a chance on the show.”

It was later that Abdul alleges Lythgoe sexually assaulted her in an elevator of a hotel they were both staying at while traveling for one of the singing competition show’s auditions. The suit doesn’t give a year the incident happened but claims it was during the show’s “initial seasons.”

“Lythgoe shoved Abdul against the wall, then grabbed her genitals and breasts and began shoving his tongue down her throat,” the complaint states. “Abdul attempted to push Lythgoe away from her and let him know his behavior was not acceptable. When the doors to the elevator for her floor opened, Abdul ran out of the elevator and to her hotel room. In tears, Abdul quickly called one of her representatives to inform them of the assault but ultimately decided not to take action for fear that Lythgoe would have her fired from American Idol.”

Years later, Abdul claims, Lythgoe sexually assaulted her again when she was working on So You Think You Can Dance, with Abdul inking a deal to serve as a judge in January 2015. Abdul was invited to Lythgoe’s home for dinner, the complaint states, “to discuss other opportunities for the two to work together.”

Believing the dinner was a “professional invitation,” Abdul accepted the invite, according to the complaint.

“Toward the end of the evening, however, 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,’” the complaint states. “Abdul pushed Lythgoe off of her, explaining that she was not interested in his advances, and immediately left Lythgoe’s home. As with the earlier incident, Abdul feared she would be retaliated against or blackballed if she spoke out against the incident.”

Later, the complaint reiterates how Abdul refrained from speaking out due to fear of retaliation.

“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 being ostracized and blackballed by an industry that had a pattern of protecting powerful men and silencing survivors of sexual assault and harassment,” the document states.

Abdul also claims in the suit that she was “discriminated against in terms of compensation and benefits” compared to the male judges and host on American Idol.

Abdul’s contracts on both American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance, which the complaint claims were “drafted by entities with which Lythgoe was associated,” also specified that she was “prohibited … from publicly discussing anything that might be deemed ‘confidential business information’ (including information about the judges, hosts or production entities or staff) and/or which would be perceived as ‘derogatory’,” according to the complaint.

Elsewhere in the suit, Abdul said she also witnessed Lythgoe sexually assault one of her assistants at the time, identified as “April” in the complaint, while filming So You Think You Can Dance in 2015. One evening, Lythgoe allegedly “approached Abdul and April from behind, pressed himself up against April and began to grope her. April did not consent,” the complaint states.

Abdul’s lawsuit claims Lythgoe proceeded to tease her on the phone about his alleged behavior and incidents.

“Lythgoe knew and was aware that his treatment of Abdul was inappropriate and even criminal,” the complaint states, adding that he “clearly knew that his assaults of Abdul were not just wrong but that he held the power to keep her silent.”

Lythgoe produced American Idol from 2002 to 2014 and produced So You Think You Can Dance from 2005 to 2014.

In a statement shared with The Hollywood Reporter, Lythgoe denied the allegations, writing, “To say that I am shocked and saddened by the allegations made against me by Paula Abdul is a wild understatement. For more than two decades, Paula and I have interacted as dear – and entirely platonic – friends and colleagues. Yesterday, however, out of the blue, I learned of these claims in the press and I want to be clear: not only are they false, they are deeply offensive to me and to everything I stand for.”

The statement continued, “While Paula’s history of erratic behavior is well known, I can’t pretend to understand exactly why she would file a lawsuit that she must know is untrue. But I can promise that I will fight this appalling smear with everything I have.”

In addition to Lythgoe, the shows’ production companies American Idol Productions, Dance Nation Productions, 19 Entertainment and Fremantlemedia North America were also all listed as defendants in the suit.

The complaint claims the production companies “knew or should have known of Lythgoe’s sexual assaults and harassment of Abdul” and “did nothing to investigate, supervise, or monitor Lythgoe to ensure the safety of Abdul and others similarly situated.”

THR has reached out to American Idol reps for comment.

After Johnson & Johnson LLP filed the complaint under California’s Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act (AB 2777) on behalf of Abdul, managing partner Douglas L. Johnson said in a statement, “AB 2777 was passed with the express purpose of giving voice to survivors of sexual abuse who had been pressured, coerced, or otherwise deterred from holding their abusers to account in the pre-MeToo era. We are proud to help provide Ms. Abdul with access to the courts and a megaphone for her story to be told.”

Updated Dec. 30 at 5:45 p.m. PT with Lythgoe’s statement.

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