Paula Abdul accuses former American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe of sexual assault
Paula Abdul has accused former American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe of sexually assaulting her when she was a judge on the show.
The singer’s lawsuit also accuses him of another assault, years later, when she worked on So You Think You Can Dance.
Lythgoe denied the accusations and said he is “shocked and saddened”.
Abdul claims the 74-year-old Briton groped her breasts and genitals and “began shoving his tongue down her throat” in a lift after a day’s filming in the early 2000s.
She said she pushed him away and ran to her hotel room when the doors opened.
Lythgoe was part of the executive team that launched American Idol in 2002
Abdul called one of her representatives “but ultimately decided not to take action for fear that Lythgoe would have her fired from American Idol”, the lawsuit states.
The Grammy award-winning singer worked on eight seasons of the show before leaving in 2009.
A second assault allegedly happened around the time she joined So You Think You Can Dance, another of Lythgoe’s shows, in 2015.
Abdul claims he forced himself on her and tried to kiss her during a dinner at his Los Angeles home, but that she pushed him away and left.
The 61-year-old was on the judges’ panel with Lythgoe for two seasons of the dance show but hasn’t worked with him since.
Abdul was an judge on American Idol alongside Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson
The lawsuit also claims he taunted her about the alleged assaults, saying to her years later “they should celebrate” as “the statute of limitations had run”.
Abdul further alleges she saw Lythgoe assaulting one of her assistants on So You Think You Can Dance.
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Lythgoe was a judge on ITV show Popstars – which created the band Hear’Say – when he was dubbed “Nasty Nigel” for his tough remarks on the series.
In a statement, he said he considered Abdul a “dear” and “entirely platonic” friend.
“While Paula’s history of erratic behaviour is well known, I can’t pretend to understand exactly why she would file a lawsuit that she must know is untrue,” Lythgoe said.
“But I can promise that I will fight this appalling smear with everything I have.”
Abdul filed the claim a few days before a California law expires allowing people a one-year window to sue over sexual abuse claims that have exceeded the legal time limit.
More than 3,700 were filed in New York – including claims against stars such as Axl Rose and Jamie Foxx – under a similar law that lapsed last month.
Entertainment
Gregg Wallace: Over half of allegations against MasterChef presenter substantiated, including one of unwanted physical contact
An investigation into Gregg Wallace’s “inappropriate behaviour” on MasterChef has found that more than half of the allegations against him have been substantiated, including one of “unwanted physical contact”.
MasterChef’s production company Banijay UK shared a summary of its report into historical allegations of misconduct against the 60-year-old presenter, carried out by independent law firm Lewis Silkin over seven months.
The report also said the number of sustained allegations made Wallace’s return to MasterChef “untenable”.
The investigation heard evidence from 78 witnesses, including 41 complainants.
There were 83 allegations against Wallace, and 45 of them were substantiated. All were related to MasterChef.
While the majority of the substantiated allegations related to inappropriate sexual language and humour, a smaller number of allegations of other inappropriate language and being in a state of undress were also substantiated.
One allegation of unwanted physical contact was substantiated.
Nearly all the allegations against Wallace were related to behaviour which is said to have occurred between 2005 and 2018, with just one substantiated allegation taking place post-2018.
Wallace and Anne-Marie Sterpini in 2014
Ahead of the publication of the summary, Wallace had said he had been “cleared of the most serious and sensational accusations” made against him.
Additionally, the report summary found that there were also 10 standalone allegations about other people between 2012 and 2018/2019, two of which were substantiated. Those people were not named in the summary.
The investigation found that complaints had previously been raised with the production company between 2005 and 2024.
Gregg Wallace on MasterChef. Pic: BBC/ Shine TV 2024
While the report flagged inadequate reporting procedures prior to 2016, when Endemol merged with Shine ahead of Banijay acquiring Endemol Shine in 2020, it said there were significant improvements to HR processes and training after 2016.
While the investigation said some formal action was taken by the BBC in 2017, it also noted the corporation held no information regarding concerns raised over Wallace centrally, resulting in issues being addressed as a first offence.
Sky News has tried to contact Gregg Wallace for contact today.
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