Nigel Lythgoe Steps Down From 'SYTYCD' After Paula Abdul Allegations
Nigel denied her allegations, claiming she provided "absolutely no substantiating evidence" to back them up.
Jan. 5 2024, Published 6:32 p.m. ET
Nigel Lythgoe is walking away from So You Think You Can Dance after being accused of sexually assaulting several women, including singer Paula Abdul, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Lythogoe — who executive produces the competition dance show — announced that he won't participate in this year's edition of the reality series.
The TV executive denied her allegations.
"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. 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," he said on Friday.
The television mogul vowed to fight the allegations against him.
"In the meantime, I am dedicating myself to clearing my name and restoring my reputation," Lythgoe concluded.
As RadarOnline.com reported, Abdul sued Lythgoe for sexual assault last week, claiming the American Idol executive forced himself on her during her stints as a judge on the singing competition show as well as SYTYCD.
Paula sued Nigel last year, claiming he sexually assaulted her twice during her 'American Idol' and 'So You Think You Can Dance' stints.
The Straight Up singer included two alleged incidents in the lawsuit, one of which she claimed she told her representative about but failed to go further with the accusations out of fear of retaliation. Abdul also claimed that he called her at some point after the alleged incidents and "taunted" her by saying they should celebrate because it had been "7 years and the statute of limitations had run."
Lythgoe denied Abdul's allegations.
"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," his rep told RadarOnline.com.
"While Paula’s history of erratic behavior is well known, I can’t pretend to understand exactly why she would file a lawsuit that she must know is untrue. But I can promise that I will fight this appalling smear with everything I have.”
Abdul accused Lythgoe of "victim shaming" her, claiming he "cherry picked" emails of their private conversations to "discredit her claims."
After Abdul came forward, Lythgoe was hit with a second lawsuit by two contestants from his short-lived competition show All American Girl.
The women — who filed the suit under Jane Doe pseudonyms — accused Lythgoe of showing up on the set and in the dressing rooms where he allegedly "openly swatted and groped" their butts. They claimed that Lythgoe, a producer on the 2003 program, insisted that one of the girls ride with him to the studio to meet the rest of the cast after their wrap party. The second plaintiff alleged she rode with them to protect her friend. Instead of taking them to the studio, Lythgoe's accusers alleged he took them to his home, where things reportedly escalated.
All three lawsuits fall under California's Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act, which waives the statute of limitations on some sexual misconduct allegations.
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All three lawsuits fall under California's Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act, which waives the statute of limitations on some sexual misconduct allegations.
Following the accusations, Deadline reported that Lythgoe was being investigated by Sony Pictures TV’s 19 Entertainment, which co-produces SYTYCD with Dick Clark Productions.
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