Search
23 Oct 2025
Search
23 Oct 2025
Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.
Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.
If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .
Support our mission and join our community now.
To continue reading this article, you can subscribe for as little as €0.50 per week which will also give you access to all of our premium content and archived articles!
Alternatively, you can pay €0.50 per article, capped at €1 per day.
Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism!
US music and television star Paula Abdul has said she is feeling “grateful” after agreeing to settle a lawsuit with American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe that alleged he had sexually assaulted her while she was a judge on the programme.
Abdul, 62, who was a popstar in the 1980s and 1990s, filed a notice of settlement of the case in Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday which is yet to be approved by a judge.
British TV producer Lythgoe, 75, vehemently denied the allegations made in the Californian lawsuit filed almost a year ago.
In a statement to US publication People on Friday, Abdul said: “I am grateful that this chapter has successfully come to a close and is now something I can now put behind me.
“This has been a long and hard-fought personal battle. I hope my experience can serve to inspire other women facing similar struggles, to overcome their own challenges with dignity and respect, so that they too can turn the page and begin a new chapter of their lives.”
Abdul claims she kept silent “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”, the documents said.
Her lawsuit accused Lythgoe of assault while the pair worked together on hit shows American Idol and the US version of So You Think You Can Dance.
He was an executive producer from the early 2000s of British talent show Pop Idol and its spin-off American Idol, before co-creating and featuring as a judge in the US version of So You Think You Can Dance, which launched in 2005.
After stepping down from the dance show with a “heavy heart” in January, Lythgoe said he was dedicating his time to clearing his name and restoring his reputation.
He was also a producer and judge on pioneering ITV talent show Popstars from 2001, earning the nickname “Nasty Nigel” because of his cutting remarks to the hopefuls.
Originally from the Wirral but now based in Los Angeles, Lythgoe started as a dancer before working as a choreographer and moving into TV.
He was awarded an OBE in 2015 for services to the performing arts, education and charity.
A representative for Lythgoe has been approached for comment.
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.
This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie.
