Nigel Lythgoe may deny Paula Abdul’s sexual assault allegations, but history appears to be speaking loud and clear for itself…
As we’ve been reporting, the pop star filed a bombshell lawsuit against the TV producer on Friday alleging that on two occasions, he sexually assaulted her. And now, an extremely unsavory interview is resurfacing that doesn’t bode well for his defense.
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Shortly after the 61-year-old filed her suit, a 2017 interview with the Daily Beast popped up in which Nigel commented on how she was “mistreated” by fellow judge Simon Cowell on American Idol. He reflected on working with for “all those years” on the singing competition, and seeing how “she was mistreated by Simon.” Except instead of speaking up for her sake, his mind apparently went in another, darker direction. He said at the time:
“So abused and mistreated. I wanted to be the next person to abuse her.”
WTF?!
How could he talk about someone like that?? And RIGHT in front of her?! Disgusting. Poor Paula!
In her suit, the Grammy winner alleged that the first attack occurred in the early 2000s during “one of Idol‘s initial seasons.” She claimed the two were in an elevator together when the 74-year-old pushed her up against a wall and attempted to kiss her while groping her genitals and breasts. The second occurred years later in 2015 when she signed on to judge for So You Think You Can Dance. She claimed in the suit that Nigel invited her over for what she thought would be a professional meeting to discuss work opportunities. But instead, he allegedly forced himself on top of her and attempted to kiss her.
The English producer has since addressed the suit in a dismissive statement that seemed to try and discredit Paula. He said on Saturday:
“To say that I am shocked and saddened by the allegations made against me by Paula Abdul is a wild understatement. For more than two decades, Paula and I have interacted as dear — and entirely platonic — friends and colleagues. Yesterday, however, out of the blue, 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. While Paula’s history of erratic behavior is well known, I can’t pretend to understand exactly why she would file a lawsuit that she must know is untrue. But I can promise that I will fight this appalling smear with everything I have.”
Messed-up stuff. And that resurfaced interview is just… oof. Not a good look.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence and would like to learn more about resources, consider checking out https://www.rainn.org/resources
[Images via NBC/YouTube & FayesVision/Brian To/WENN]
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