Paula Abdul Accuses Nigel Lythgoe of 'Victim Shaming' Her by Releasing 'Cherry-Picked' Emails and Messages

Paula Abdul has responded to Nigel Lythgoe after he used her private emails as alleged evidence that he didn't sexually assault her. The Straight Up singer, 61, told RadarOnline.com through her attorney, Melissa Eubanks, "Mr. Lythgoe’s answer to Ms. Abdul’s complaint is classic victim shaming. Mr. Lythgoe fails to appreciate that he held a position of power over Ms. Abdul. He was a producer on American Idol and SYTYCD and she was the talent. He held the cards to her career in his hand and he knew it. It thus is no surprise that Ms. Abdul placated to his ego with positive messaging and seeming adoration. These are the defenses that many women like Ms. Abdul had to adopt to deal with men who abuse their power."

"While Mr. Lythgoe’s answer cherry-picks from years of messages with Ms. Abdul to try to discredit her claims, what his selections fail to show are the numerous instances of overt sexual harassment he forced Ms. Abdul to tolerate," she shared on Wednesday.

This comes just one day after Lythgoe responded to her sexual assault lawsuit, exposing their public and private correspondence to back up his denial, in which he also slammed Abdul's "erratic behavior" and accused her of using drugs in the past.

As RadarOnline.com reported, Abdul sued the 77-year-old television mogul in December 2023, accusing him of sexual assault on two separate occasions while filming American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance. Lythgoe denied the allegations, calling them "false" and "deeply offensive."

This outlet obtained the private emails allegedly sent to Lythgoe by Abdul in 2014 and 2105, years after the alleged assaults reportedly happened. The performer left Idol in August 2009 after eight seasons working with Lythgoe on the hit singing show. Abdul joined forces with him again for SYTYCD. She didn't announce her exit from the dance series until August 2012.

Lythgoe attached Abdul's character, claiming he vouched for her when no one in Hollywood wanted to. He said he "championed" Abdul for Idol and SYTYCD despite "being told that Abdul is 'an absolute no' because she 'is nuts' and 'crazy,' by other producers and industry."

He alleged that during Season One of Idol, "there were ongoing discussions about Abdul's substance abuse issues and behavior among executives."

"At her very best, Abdul's behavior on American Idol has been described as 'weird,' 'wacky,' 'bizarre,' and 'unpredictable.' At her worst, Abdul was slurring her speech, unintelligible, drooling and passing out in audition rooms, having to be carried out on two separate occasions," Lythgoe's response read.

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Lythgoe included pages of emails, messages, and tweets from Paula during the time of the alleged abuse. He said the private correspondence shows "how Abdul really felt about Lythgoe during and after the time she now alleges abuse occurred."

The Opposites Attract singer isn't the only female suing Lythgoe for alleged sexual assault.

After Lythgoe's response made headlines, he was sued by a woman who claimed he assaulted her in his Los Angeles home in 2018, marking his fourth accuser.

Days after Abdul's accusations, two contestants from Lythgoe's short-lived show All American Girl filed a suit against him. The women 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.