This article initially appeared on E! On the web
Nigel Lythgoe is bowing out of “So You Believe You Can Dance.”
The govt producer and co-creator of the dance levels of competition introduced that he is voluntarily leaving the show. His departure arrives a 7 days soon after former “SYTYCD” and “American Idol” decide Paula Abdul accused him of sexual assault in a Dec. 29 lawsuit.
“I have informed the producers of ‘So You Consider You Can Dance’ of my conclusion to step back again from collaborating in this year’s collection,” Lythgoe said in a assertion to The Hollywood Reporter. “I did so with a major coronary heart but totally voluntarily since this fantastic program has generally been about dance and dancers, and which is where its target requires to stay.”
The 74-12 months-old extra, “In the meantime, I am dedicating myself to clearing my name and restoring my status.”
FOX, Dick Clark Productions and 19 Entertainment confirmed the exit to E! News, expressing in a joint assertion that “the display stays dedicated to the contestants” and they have not created a conclusion on a substitute choose.
Abdul, 61, accused Lythgoe of assaulting her when they labored with each other on “SYTYCD” and “American Idol.” She alleged in her lawsuit that he groped and kissed her when they were touring for “American Idol’s” regional auditions in a person of the early seasons.
Hollywood’s A lot of Adult males Accused of Sexual Misconduct
Moreover, the singer accused Lythgoe of forcing himself on her through a evening meal at his property although they had been co-judges on “So You Imagine You Can Dance” among 2015 and 2016.
She recognized the invite “to go over other possibilities for the two to get the job done collectively,” for every her lawsuit, but alleged Lythgoe pressured himself on leading of her on his sofa and “attempted to kiss her whilst proclaiming that the two would make an exceptional ‘power pair.'”
Abdul said she tried to press him absent in both of those instances, introducing that she has experienced intense emotional distress, psychological anguish, fear, anxiety, humiliation and embarrassment next the alleged encounters.
For his aspect, Lythgoe has denied the allegations.
“To say that I am shocked and saddened by the allegations built in opposition to me by Paula Abdul is a wild understatement,” he said in a Dec. 31 statement to E! Information. “For a lot more than two a long time, Paula and I have interacted as dear—and entirely platonic—friends and colleagues.”
Lythgoe ongoing, “Nonetheless, out of the blue, I learned of these statements in the push and I want to be very clear: not only are they fake, they are deeply offensive to me and to almost everything I stand for.”
If you or someone you know is a sufferer of sexual assault, free of charge, confidential aid is obtainable as a result of the Countrywide Sexual Violence Sources Centre and the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-4673.
