Featured Image Credit: Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney / Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Topics: American Idol, Film and TV, Mental Health, US News
Poppy Bilderbeck
Topics: American Idol, Film and TV, Mental Health, US News
Paula Abdul is suing American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe, accusing him of sexually assaulting her on multiple occasions.
The singer and dancer was one of the original judges on American Idol and also appeared as a judge on So You Think You Can Dance.
On Friday (29 December), Abdul filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles alleging Lythgoe - an executive of Americon Idol and former producer of So You Think You Can Dance - sexually assaulted her twice during the time she hosted the shows.
Advert
The 61-year-old claims the first alleged incident of sexual assault took place during the 'initial seasons' of American Idol.
Lythgoe has denied the claims.
The lawsuit states: "Lythgoe shoved Abdul against the wall, then grabbed her genitals and breasts, and began shoving his tongue down her throat.
"Abdul attempted to push Lythgoe away from her. When the doors to the elevator for her door opened, Abdul ran out of the elevator and to her hotel room.
"Abdul quickly called one of her representatives in tears to inform them of the assault."
The second alleged incident took place in 2014 when Abdul and Lythgoe were both working on So You Think You Can Dance.
The lawsuit claims Abdul went to Lythgoe's house after believing it to be a 'professional invitation' to dinner.
"Toward the end of the evening, 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'.
"Abdul pushed Lythgoe off of her, explaining that she was not interested in his advances and immediately left," the suit continues.
Abdul's lawsuit lists allegations from sexual assault and battery to sexual harassment, gender violence and negligence.
The lawsuit claims Lythgoe knew what he'd done was 'inappropriate and even criminal' and 'taunted' her about how he'd gotten away with it on a phone call.
The lawsuit alleges Abdul was discriminated against by not only Lythgoe, but the rest of the production team too - American Idol Productions, Dance Nation Productions, 19 Entertainment and Fremantlemedia North America are all listed as defendants.
Before Abdul even took on the role of being a judge for American Idol, she met with executives in 2001 to discuss the opportunity.
The lawsuit alleges Lythgoe 'verbally insulted and belittled' Abdul during that meeting, such as saying she 'probably wouldn't be known by the show's contestants' and was a 'has been,' Rolling Stone reports.
Abdul ended up taking the position in 2002, however she also claims the production team - including Lythgoe - bullied her and alleges she was paid less than her male counterparts.
Abdul says she didn't speak up about the alleged incidents sooner because of the power Lythgoe had over her career and because the contracts on both shows said she was 'prohibited from publicly disclosing sensitive information'.
In a statement to TMZ, Lythgoe said: "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."
UNILAD has contacted Nigel Lythgoe's representatives and American Idol for comment.