Pop star Paula’s sexual assault lawsuit against TV Nigel
Singer claims boss grabbed her in hotel lift and on sofa
Lythgoe shoved Abdul against the wall then grabbed her... she attempted to push him away
SINGER Paula Abdul says TV mogul Nigel Lythgoe sexually assaulted her when they worked together on reality shows, according to US media.
Paula, 61, claims the abuse happened when she was a judge on his programmes American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance.
She is suing the 74-year-old Brit – nicknamed Nasty Nigel for his jibes at wannabes as a judge on Popstars – and various production firms.
Court papers say he groped her in a hotel lift during regional auditions for “one of the first seasons” of American Idol in the early 2000s.
Documents allege: “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.” Abdul said she chose not to speak up fearing she could be fired as a judge on American Idol by Lythgoe, the show’s executive producer.
She claimed he later assaulted her in 2014 at his home, while working as a judge on So You Think You Can Dance.
The lawsuit stated: “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 lawsuit, filed on Friday in California and published by US entertainment website TMZ, also accused
Lythgoe of verbal harassment, bullying, and discrimination against Abdul, who says she was paid less than the male judges on American Idol.
She also claimed that she saw Lythgoe sexually assault one of her assistants in April 2015.
The lawsuit alleges: “For years, Abdul has remained silent about the sexual assaults and harassment she experienced on account of Lythgoe due to fear 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 – and of being ostracised and blackballed by an industry that had a pattern of protecting powerful men and silencing survivors of sexual assault and harassment.”
Dancer Paula found stardom in the late 1980s, scoring six US number ones with singles including Cold Hearted and Straight Up, and was on American Idol from its launch in 2002 until 2009. Other judges on the show included Simon Cowell and US record exec Randy Jackson.
Lythgoe, a former dancer and choreographer from Wallasey, Merseyside, shot to fame in 2000 as an acidtongued judge on TV series Popstars.
He once made singer Kym Marsh – a member of the group Hear’say – cry after telling her: “Christmas may be gone, but I see the goose is still fat.”
He also produced hit shows Gladiators and Blind Date and worked on Pop Idol. In 2015 he was awarded an OBE for services to education, charity and the arts.
Two years ago he was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Last night neither he nor Abdul had commented on the case.