Our readers are Instagram users
You can now follow the latest news for free through our Instagram account
Click here to subscribe
Elaph: Producer Nigel Lythgow is stepping down as a judge on So You Think You Can Dance, after two lawsuits accused him of sexual assault.
Lithgow, the show’s executive producer, is accused of forcibly groping and kissing Paula Abdul in an elevator nearly 20 years ago. In a second lawsuit, two All American Girl contestants accused him of forcibly trying to kiss them after a wrap party in 2003.
“I have informed the producers of So You Think You Can Dance of my decision to step back from the show this year,” Lithgow said in a statement to Variety. “I do so with a heavy heart but completely voluntarily because this wonderful program has always been about dance and dancers, and that is where its focus should remain. In the meantime, I dedicate myself to clearing my name and restoring my reputation.”
Lithgow, 74, has been a judge on “So You Think You Can Dance” since its debut in 2005. The 18th season is scheduled to premiere on Fox on March 4.
Sony Pictures Television subsidiary 19 Entertainment, which co-produces So You Think You Can Dance, has opened an investigation into Lithgow, a source told Variety on Wednesday.
In a statement, Fox, 19 Entertainment and Dick Clark Productions said the next season “will continue, despite the absence of Nigel Lithgow, to ensure the show remains committed to the contestants, who have worked incredibly hard for the opportunity to compete on our stage.”
“No decision has been made on a replacement judge for this season, which will premiere on FOX on Monday, March 4,” the companies added.
Abdul was a judge on “So You Think You Can Dance” and “American Idol,” which Lithgow also produced. She filed a lawsuit against him on December 29 under California’s Sexual Assault Accountability and Cover-Up Act, which revived some lawsuits that would have been blocked by the statute of limitations.
Abdul claims that during one of the first seasons of “American Idol,” she and Lithgow were traveling to the show’s regional auditions and stayed in the same hotel. She claims that he sexually harassed her in the elevator.
About a decade later, she claimed, Lithgow invited her to his house for dinner and forced himself on her while she was sitting on his couch. In both cases, she resisted and fled, according to her lawsuit.
She also alleged that Lithgow engaged in verbal harassment and bullying, and that she was paid less than male judges on “American Idol.”
Lithgow strongly denied Abdul’s allegations, saying in a statement that they were “false” and “deeply offensive.”
He added: “Although Paula’s history of erratic behavior is well known, I cannot 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 horrific libel with everything I have.”
In the second lawsuit, two female contestants alleged that Lithgow once walked on the set of “All American Girl” and struck the dancers’ buttocks. This lawsuit does not identify Lithgow, the plaintiffs, or the show by name, but using only initials instead.
Abdul, who is embarking on a second career as a judge on a reality TV show, said she did not speak out sooner because she feared she would be blocked by one of the most powerful men in the industry. Her lawsuit names 19 Entertainment and several other companies as defendants, alleging that they protected Lithgow and worked to cover up the abuse.
In his statement, Lithgow said he first became aware of Abdul’s allegations by reading about them in the press.
