After Paula Abdul claimed American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe got handsy with her back in the day, the producer is floored at the accusations hurled against him.
“For years this has eaten at her,” a source dished of the 61-year-old star, who worked with Lythgoe, 74, on American Idol and So You Think Yo Can Dance. “It’s been soul-crushing. She’s always wanted the truth to come out, and she finally summoned the courage to pull the trigger.”
“Nigel no doubt was blindsided and didn’t see this coming,” added the source. “He’s denying the allegations, but Paula isn’t backing down. She wants justice.”
As OK! previously reported, the brunette beauty filed a lawsuit in which she accused Lythgoe of sexually assaulting when they worked together.
“Lythgoe shoved Abdul against the wall, then grabbed her genitals and b------, and began shoving his tongue down her throat,” the complaint states. “Abdul attempted to push Lythgoe away from her. When the doors to the elevator for her door opened, Abdul ran out of the elevator and to her hotel room. Abdul quickly called one of her representatives in tears to inform them of the assault.”
In 2014, the "Straight Up" singer was a judge on So You Think You Can Dance, and when Lythgoe invited her to his home for dinner, she thought it was because they were friends. However, Lythgoe allegedly made a move on her, catching her off guard.
“Toward the end of the evening, Lythgoe forced himself on top of Abdul while she was seated on his couch and attempted to kiss her while proclaiming that the two would make an excellent ‘power couple,’” the suit reads. “Abdul pushed Lythgoe off of her, explaining that she was not interested in his advances and immediately left.”
Abdul also claimed Lythgoe bullied her for years while on the set of American Idol.
“For years, Abdul has remained silent about the sexual assaults and harassment she experienced on account of Lythgoe due to fear of speaking out against one of the most well-known producers of television competition shows who could easily break her career as a television personality and of being ostracized and blackballed by an industry that had a pattern of protecting powerful men and silencing survivors of sexual assault and harassment,” the lawsuit states.
In response, Lythgoe declared he was "shocked and saddened" by the allegations.
"For more than two decades, Paula and I have interacted as dear, and entirely platonic, friends and colleagues," he said in a statement to TMZ.
"I want to be clear: not only are they false, they are deeply offensive to me and to everything I stand for. ... 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," he added, noting he learned of the choreographer's accusations "out of the blue."
Since then, Lythgoe has stepped down from being a judge on So You Think You Can Dance. "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," he stated.
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In Touch spoke the source.
