Executive producer of So You Think You Can Dance, Nigel Lythgoe, is stepping away from the show he helped co-create. In a statement, he said he is moving aside “voluntarily” amid sexual assault allegations filed December 29 by Paula Abdul.
“I have informed the producers … of my decision to step back from participating in this year’s series,” his statement reads. “I did so with a heavy heart … because this great program has always been about dance and dancers … That’s where its focus needs to remain.”
“In the meantime, I am dedicating myself to clearing my name and restoring my reputation,” he continued.
Season 18 going forward without Nigel
Fox TV released a separate statement, alongside SYTYCD producers 19 Entertainment and Dick Clark Productions. To ensure the show’s focus remains on “the contestants, who have worked incredibly hard for the opportunity,” Season 18 will go forward without Nigel. They have yet to announce a replacement judge.
Nigel was also an executive producer for most of American Idol’s run on Fox from 2002 to 2014. In her suit, Paula alleged that Nigel “verbally insulted and belittled” her during meetings prior to Idol’s debut. She chalked his behavior up to being a “one-time event” and accepted the job anyway. But at some point early on, she alleges that he groped and kissed her in a hotel elevator.
She also claims that Nigel assaulted her during her two seasons (2015 and 2016) as a judge on SYTYCD. During a dinner at his home, he allegedly forced himself on top of her and attempted to kiss her. The Straight Up singer says he told her they “would make an excellent ‘power couple.’” At the time, afraid that retaliation would harm her career, she didn’t report either incident.
Nigel continues to deny all allegations of wrongdoing. He released his own statement saying, he was “shocked and saddened by the allegations made against me by Paula Abdul … For more than two decades, Paula and I have interacted as dear — and entirely platonic — friends and colleagues … 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.”
A second sexual assault/harassment suit
In a separate suit filed just days after Paula’s, two contestants from the show All American Girl (2003) claim he sexually assaulted and harassed them. According to documents, the women allege Nigel would often show up on set and in their dressing rooms. He “openly swatted and groped” their derrières while they were wearing their dance costumes.
The women are suing Nigel, an executive producer on the show, and an unnamed production company for sexual assault and battery, sexual harassment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligence.
Sony-owned 19 Entertainment has initiated its own investigation into the claims.
So You Think You Can Dance premieres March 4 on Fox.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK IT’S FOR THE BEST THAT NIGEL “STEPS AWAY” FROM THE SHOW?
