Paula Abdul Settles Sexual Assault Case Against Nigel Lythgoe, Hopes Her Experience Can ‘Inspire Other Women’
Paula Abdul has reportedly settled her sexual assault case against American Idol executive producer and So You Think You Can Dance co-creator Nigel Lythgoe, which was first filed nearly one year ago, TVLine has confirmed.
“I am grateful this chapter has successfully come to a close and is now something I can now put behind me,” Abdul says in a statement. “This has been a long and hard-fought personal battle. I hope my experience can serve to inspire other women, facing similar struggles, to overcome their own challenges with dignity and respect, so that they too can turn the page and begin a new chapter of their lives.”
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In a statement of his own, Lythgoe responds, “We live in a troubling time where a person is now automatically assumed to be guilty until proven innocent, a process that can take years. That is why, like Paula, I am glad to be able to put this behind me. I know the truth and that gives me great comfort.”
In the lawsuit, which was originally filed in December 2023, Abdul accused Lythgoe of sexually assaulting her during an early season of American Idol, and again in 2014 while she was judging SYTYCD.
Abdul detailed a pattern of toxic behavior, alleging that Lythgoe “verbally insulted and belittled” her as early as 2001. Upon joining Idol as a judge in 2002, she claims she was bullied by Lythgoe and was paid less than her male counterparts. Then, during one of the show’s “initial seasons,” Lythgoe allegedly sexually assaulted her in a hotel elevator while traveling for contestant auditions.
Years later in 2014, Lythgoe allegedly sexually assaulted Abdul again after inviting her to his home for dinner, which Abdul thought to be a “professional invitation,” according to the suit.
At the time of the initial filing, Lythgoe told TMZ, “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.”
Abdul’s claims, as well as a second sexual assault lawsuit filed by female contestants on the 2003 competition show All American Girl, were the catalyst for Lythgoe stepping down from his position as a judge on SYTYCD.
“I have informed the producers of So You Think You Can Dance of my decision to step back from participating in this year’s series,” Lythgoe said in January 2024. “I did so with a heavy heart but entirely voluntarily because this great program has always been about dance and dancers, and that’s where its focus needs to remain. In the meantime, I am dedicating myself to clearing my name and restoring my reputation.”
TVLine has reached out to Abdul and Lythgoe’s teams for comment.
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