Nigel Lythgoe is addressing the sexual assault accusations aimed at him by Paula Abdul.
On Friday, the Grammy winner filed a bombshell lawsuit against the TV producer, alleging that he sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions. Per court docs obtained by TMZ, she alleged that the first incident happened during “one of [American] Idol‘s initial seasons” in the early 2000s while the team was on the road for auditions. She claimed that while in an elevator with Nigel, he shoved her against a wall, tried to kiss her, and groped her genitals and breasts.
Related: Jeremy Renner Visits Hospital One Year After Near-Fatal Snowplow Incident
The singer also claimed a second assault happened years later in 2015 after she signed on to be a judge for So You Think You Can Dance. Per the legal docs, he invited her over to his house to discuss work opportunities, which she accepted under the assumption of professionalism. But instead, Nigel allegedly forced himself on top of her while she was sitting on a couch and attempted to kiss her. She also claimed to have witnessed the 74-year-old groping one of her assistants on SYTYCD in 2015.
Really, really messed up stuff. Read all about it and some of her other claims HERE.
Now, a bit of time has passed, and Nigel is firing back.
On Saturday, the English producer denied the 61-year-old’s accusations outright, referring to them not only “false,” but “deeply offensive.” He said in a statement to multiple outlets:
“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.”
Wow, it sounds like he’s not wanting to go down without a fight… And a fight is exactly what he brought, because he took things a step further by calling out Paula’s character:
“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.”
DAMN. That’s messed up… He didn’t go into specific details about what kind of “erratic behavior” he’s suggesting, but, wow…
What are your reactions to his denial, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments down below.
[Images via Warner Bros. Television/YouTube & FayesVision/WENN]
Source link