Paula Abdul accuses former ‘American Idol’ producer of sexual assault

Grammy-winning singer, choreographer and television personality Paula Abdul has filed a lawsuit against former “American Idol” and “So You Think You Can Dance” producer Nigel Lythgoe, claiming he harassed and sexually assaulted her during her time working on both shows.

In a complaint, filed Friday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Abdul accused Lythgoe of sexually assaulting her on two occasions. The first incident took place during the early seasons of “American Idol,” and the second happened about a decade later while Abdul, 61, was working on “So You Think You Can Dance,” the complaint said.

The first incident allegedly occurred in an elevator of a hotel after a day of auditions for “American Idol,” which first aired in 2002. The complaint said Lythgoe “shoved” Abdul against the wall in the elevator, “grabbed her genitals and breasts, and began shoving his tongue down her throat.” She escaped once the elevator doors opened and told her representatives about the incident, but was fearful to take action because she didn’t want to be fired from the show, according to the complaint.

During the second incident a decade later, Lythgoe invited Abdul to a dinner at his house to discuss working together on “So You Think You Can Dance,” where he was an executive producer. Near the end of the evening, the complaint alleged, Lythgoe forced himself on top of Abdul in an attempt to kiss her while she was seated on his couch and told her the two of them would make an excellent “power couple.”

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

The complaint also said that Abdul was discriminated against while working on “American Idol” in terms of compensation and benefits “compared to one of the show’s male judges and the host.” The suit did not name the male judge, but music managers Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell worked alongside Abdul as the original trio of judges. Ryan Seacrest was the primary host after the show’s first season.

The lawsuit named several other defendants, including 19 Entertainment Inc., FremantleMedia North America Inc., American Idol Productions Inc. and Dance Nation Productions, and lists a demand for a jury trial. Lythgoe’s representatives could not be reached for comment.

The suit was filed under California’s Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act, which permits victims of sexual assault to file claims that would otherwise be barred solely because the statute of limitations had expired. The state law allows suits to be filed through Dec. 31, 2023.

Los Angeles attorney Douglas L. Johnson, who is representing Abdul, said his client “should be commended for the immense courage required to take action against the type of abuse that was inflicted upon her, particularly when the alleged abuser is a figure so dominant in her profession.”

“It was clearly a difficult decision to make, but Ms. Abdul knows that she stands both in the shoes and on the shoulders of many other similarly situated survivors, and she is determined to see that justice is done,” Johnson said in a statement.

The complaint alleged that Abdul was not the only person abused by Lythgoe. In April 2015, while filming for “So You Think You Can Dance” in Las Vegas, Abdul allegedly witnessed Lythgoe sexually assault an assistant, who the suit named using the alias “April.”

“One evening, Lythgoe approached Abdul and April from behind, pressed himself up against April, and began to grope her,” the complaint stated. “April did not consent.”

Abdul spent two seasons on “So You Think You Can Dance,” leaving the show in 2016, and has not worked with Lythgoe since, the complaint added.