‘American Idol’ executive Nigel Lythgoe has hit back at Paula Abdul‘s claims of sexual assault.
As reported, the ‘Straight Up’ singer levelled a lengthy list of allegations against the industry veteran – including claims that he forced himself on her multiple times over multiple years during their tenures on ‘Idol’ and ‘So You Think You Can Dance.’
Now, Lythgoe is speaking up and out.
Full story below…
In a statement issued today (December 31), the exec was unbridled in his denial of the accusations and pointed to what he called “Paula’s history of erratic behavior.”
He said:
“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.”
With that, what are…
There are more tactful ways of describing a friend and colleague of 20 years than to basically call the woman a lunatic. The tone of his words matches the description Paula gave, and he unwittingly added to her defense, because they can say Paula’s mental health was a factor in her not reasoning well when she decided to keep working with him.