By Associated Press and Laura Parnaby
23:15 05 Jan 2024, updated 01:56 06 Jan 2024
TV producer Nigel Lythgoe said Friday that he is stepping aside as a judge on So You Think You Can Dance after lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault, including one from Paula Abdul.
Lythgoe is also co-creator and executive producer of the Fox dance competition series, whose 18th season is set to start in March.
“I have informed the producers of So You Think You Can Dance of my decision to step back from participating in this year’s series,” Lythgoe said in a statement.
“I did so with a heavy heart but entirely voluntarily because this great program has always been about dance and dancers, and that’s where its focus needs to remain. In the meantime, I am dedicating myself to clearing my name and restoring my reputation.”
The 74-year-old English-born Lythgoe has been a prominent TV producer for decades in both the U.K. and the U.S., working on reality competition shows including American Idol.
The singer and dancer Abdul alleged in a lawsuit filed Dec. 30 that Lythgoe twice assaulted her – first in the early 2000s when she was an American Idol judge and again about a decade later when she was a judge on So You Think You Can Dance, which she left after two seasons.
Lythgoe called the allegations an “appalling smear” that he intends to fight.
It comes after Sony Pictures Television has reportedly launched an investigation into explosive sexual assault claims against the TV star.
Two women who were contestants on Lythgoe’s 2003 ABC talent show All American Girl have also more recently claimed that he ‘openly swatted and groped’ their butts and tried to force himself on them when he had them alone.
Now, the studio which produces his long-running show SYTYCD is probing at least some of the claims, according to TMZ.
DailyMail.com has contacted Sony Pictures Television for comment.
Lythgoe, from England, revealed that after the allegations emerged he was not asked to return as a judge for what would have been his 17th season on the show.
Abdul, 61, first alleged that she was ‘verbally insulted and belittled by Lythgoe’ during initial meetings to join American Idol in 2001.
The Grammy Award winner said Lythgoe had told her she was a ‘has been celebrity and probably wouldn’t be known by the show’s contestants’, despite others believing ‘she was exactly what they were looking for.’
The two-time Emmy winner had ‘grave reservations about appearing on the show and informed her representatives about such concerns’ but both she and her team hoped that the incident was only a ‘one-time’ occurrence.
In the documents, Paula claimed that the first instance of sexual assault had happened during one of American Idol’s first seasons, while on the road for regional auditions.
‘One evening, following the day’s auditions, Lythgoe and Abdul entered the elevator of the hotel where they were staying,’ the legal docs read.
‘Upon entering the elevator, Lythgoe shoved Abdul against the wall, then grabbed her genitals and breasts, and began shoving his tongue down her throat.’
The lawsuit claims that the Dancing With The Stars guest judge ‘attempted to push’ Nigel away and that she hurried to her room once the elevator doors opened. She immediately reached out to her reps to inform them of the incident.
The second alleged occurrence took place during a dinner held at the former dancer-choreographer’s house, after Paula had signed a contract to appear as a judge on So You Think You Can Dance in 2015 – the same year he was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire).
Assuming the dinner was on a professional basis, Abdul attended the dinner.
However, the Muppets Mayhem guest star claimed that at one point, while they were both sitting on a couch, Lythgoe had tried force himself on top of her.
Paula also stated in the documents that Lythgoe had also ‘attempted to kiss’ her while telling her that they would make an ‘excellent power couple.’
The lawsuit claims that Abdul, ‘pushed him off, explaining she was not interested in his advances, and immediately left.’
However, due to fear of ‘possible implications to her career,’ the Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers star chose to stay quiet on the incident.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
