Nigel Lythgoe has stepped down from his role as a judge on “So You Think You Can Dance” days after Paula Abdul sued him for sexual assault.
“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,” he told TMZ Friday.
“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.”
Lythgoe, 74, concluded his statement, saying, “In the meantime, I am dedicating myself to clearing my name and restoring my reputation.”
The move comes a week after Abdul, 61, filed a lawsuit against the director, alleging that he sexually assaulted her in a hotel elevator while they were traveling for “American Idol” during one of the show’s “initial seasons.”
“Lythgoe shoved Abdul against the wall, then grabbed her genitals and breasts, and began shoving his tongue down her throat,” the court documents obtained by Page Six at the time stated.
“Abdul attempted to push Lythgoe away from her. When the doors to the elevator for her door opened, Abdul ran out of the elevator and to her hotel room. Abdul quickly called one of her representatives in tears to inform them of the assault.”
In the suit, the “Opposites Attract” singer also alleged that a separate incident took place when Lythgoe invited her over to his home for dinner, which she accepted because she believed it was a “professional invitation.”
“Toward the end of the evening, Lythgoe forced himself on top of Abdul while she was seated on his couch and attempted to kiss her while proclaiming that the two would make an excellent ‘power couple,’” court documents read.
“Abdul pushed Lythgoe off of her, explaining that she was not interested in his advances and immediately left.”
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Lythgoe denied Abdul’s allegations, saying in a statement to Page Six that he is “shocked and saddened by the allegations” made against him.
“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,” the film director told us last week.
“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.”
After Abdul’s lawsuit, two other women came forward with similar allegations against Lythgoe.
The women — who filed their suit as Jane Does — alleged that they were contestants on Lythgoe’s all-female reality competition show, “All American Girl,” which aired in 2003.
They claimed in the lawsuit that Lythgoe “walked around the set and dressing rooms and openly swatted and groped” their buttocks, along with other contestants, while they were wearing dance costumes.
The Jane Does also alleged that Lythgoe “made sexual advances” on them at his Los Angeles home.
The women are suing the dad of two and his production company for sexual assault and battery, sexual harassment, gender violence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligence.
Reps for Lythgoe did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment following the lawsuit from the women.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226.
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