The war between Nigel Lythgoe and Paula Abdul just got a whole lot nastier. In a December 2023 lawsuit, Paula accused Nigel of sexually assaulting her. It caused a domino effect, leading to another lawsuit and the So You Think You Can Dance co-creator ultimately getting ousted from his show ahead of Season 18.
According to Paula, Nigel assaulted her on multiple occasions behind the scenes of both SYTCYD and American Idol. When her lawsuit became public, Nigel denied all wrongdoing and described Paula as a longtime colleague and platonic friend. Now, in a sudden shift in tone, he’s slamming her in court documents and trying to make it seem like she was always some sort of loose cannon. Radar Online reported all of the details.
Nigel strikes back
In Nigel’s response to Paula’s lawsuit, he called out the former American Idol judge for her alleged erratic behavior, drug use, and history of telling tall tales. He called her a “well-documented fabulist.”
The court documents slammed Paula as someone with “a long history of telling wild stories that are untethered from reality.” They accused her of using these stories as a way to “attract attention” and make her “appear to be the victim of dreadful misfortune.”
Nigel’s allegations against Paula also included a boatload of texts and emails from their time working together. According to Nigel, the fact they communicated positively over the years is proof that he didn’t assault her. For example, one text shows Paula calling Nigel “sweetheart” and thanking him for a floral arrangement she received. In another message, Paula wrote, “I truly appreciate our friendship and am looking forward to launching our project.”
When discussing his work history with Paula, Nigel levied some major accusations about her on-set behavior. He said she was edited to look “wacky” but in actuality, she was unprofessional and unhinged. He claimed she was “unintelligible, drooling, and passing out in audition rooms.”
Clearly, Nigel’s defense strategy is to try to make Paula look like an unreliable source. What’s not clear is how he plans on getting out of the other lawsuit related to All American Girl. Shortly after Paula filed her lawsuit, two contestants from the 2003 show came forward with similar allegations against Nigel. Is he going to call them “erratic” as well?
TELL US – WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON NIGEL’S ACCUSATIONS AGAINST PAULA? DO YOU THINK SHE WAS AS SLOPPY BEHIND THE SCENES AS HE CLAIMED?
