TV producer Nigel Lythgoe has announced 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 US 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.
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“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.”
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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.
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According to the complaint, Abdul alleges “Lythgoe shoved Abdul against the wall” of an elevator and proceeded to grope her and kiss her while the pair were travelling for regional auditions for American Idol in the first incident.
“Abdul attempted to push Lythgoe away from her and let him know that his behaviour was not acceptable,” the complaint reads.
In the second incident, Abdul alleges that Lythgoe “forced himself on top of Abdul while she was seated on his couch and attempted to kiss her” when the entertainer was at a business dinner at Lythgoe’s home in 2015.
She again rejected his attempts, explaining that she “was not interested in his advances,” having believed that the meeting at his house was of a purely professional nature, according to the complaint.
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