‘American Idol’ producer accused of sexually assaulting Paula Abdul joked he wanted to be ‘the next one to abuse her’ in resurfaced interview

Nigel Lythgoe, the director and producer accused of sexual assault by Paula Abdul, joked in a 2015 interview that he “wanted to be the next person to abuse her.”

The two spoke to the Daily Beast in 2015 ahead of the 12th season premiere of “So You Think You Can Dance,” on which Lythgoe served as executive producer and judge, alongside Abdul for two seasons.

When discussing the singer’s difficult on-air relationship with Simon Cowell during her “American Idol” days, Lythgoe told the outlet how Cowell had “abused and mistreated” her.

Abdul co-hosted the show with Cowell from 2002 to 2009 and the two often argued in front of the cameras. Lythgoe was also a producer on “Idol.”

In a 2015 interview with The Daily Beast, Nigel Lythgoe discussed hiring Abdul for “So You Think You Can Dance.” REUTERS

“We’ve known each other for a long time,” Lythgoe said at the time. “To be honest, I was a fan of Paula in the UK before she came here to the US. Being able to work with her on ‘Idol’ for all those years and seeing how Simon mistreated her…”

Abdul interrupted and moaned, “Oh please,” continuing what the writer described as “playful banter.”

“So abused and mistreated,” Lythgoe continued. “He wanted to be the next person to abuse her.”

He hired Abdul to co-host the competitive dance show in 2015 and 2016.

Paula Abdul filed a lawsuit against producer Nigel Lythgoe for sexually assaulting her on multiple occasions after joining “American Idol” in the early 2000s. Getty Images

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In the years before the Daily Beast meeting, Lythgoe twice assaulted Abdul, he now claims in a lawsuit filed against him Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court.

Lythgoe allegedly pushed Abdul against the wall in a hotel elevator, grabbed her genitals and breasts and stuck his tongue down her throat during an incident that occurred during the early seasons of “American Idol,” he said in court documents.

Nigel Lythgoe was a producer on “American Idol” and “So You Think You Can Dance,” while Abdul was a judge on both shows. fake images

In 2014, he allegedly forced himself on her after dinner at his home, telling her they would make a great “power couple,” Abdul maintains in the legal filing, in which he also accused Lythgoe of groping his assistant in 2015.

“This was clearly a difficult decision to make, but Ms. Abdul knows she stands in the shoes and on the shoulders of many other survivors in similar situations, and is determined to see that justice is done,” said Abdul’s attorney, Douglas. . Johnson, in a statement.

Lythgoe called the allegations false and “deeply offensive.”

“While Paula’s history of erratic behavior is well known, I cannot pretend to understand exactly why she would file a lawsuit that she should know is false,” he said in a statement. “But I can promise that I will fight this heinous smear with everything I have.”

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Source: vtt.edu.vn

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