Executively producing both So You Think You Can Dance and American Idol was Nigel Lythgoe.
Paula Abdul said that American Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe had twice harassed her sexually. The former on Friday, December 30 filed a complaint.
In her lawsuit, the Opposites Attract singer claimed that in the early seasons of the hit singing competition, Lythgoe had physically attacked her in an elevator.
She claimed that while Nigel attempted to push himself on the singer, he aggressively groped her and pushed her against the wall.
Years later, believing it would be a professional setup, Abdul accepted the singer Rush Rush’s invitation to dine.
The producer attempted to push himself on top of her, as she discovered afterward.
According to the lawsuit, Abdul escaped each time Lythgoe attempted to attack her.
It further claimed that the producer was paid less than the male judges on American Idol and that she had been the victim of verbal abuse and intimidation.
The multihyphenate diva, 61, revealed that in April 2015, the producer attempted to assault one of her staffers.
The lawsuit further states: “For years, Abdul has kept quiet about the sexual assaults and harassment she endured as a result of Lythgoe out of fear of being shunned and blackballed by an industry that had a history of shielding powerful men and silencing survivors of sexual assault and harassment and 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.”
