Nigel Lythgoe leaving So You Think You Can Dance amid Paula Abdul assault allegations

The long-running dance competition will move forward this season without regular judge and co-creator Lythgoe, who's been accused of sexual assault

By William Hughes | January 5, 2024 | 11:20pm

Aux News So You Think You Can Dance

Nigel Lythgoe leaving So You Think You Can Dance amid Paula Abdul assault allegations

Nigel Lythgoe Photo: Kevin Winter

Nigel Lythgoe announced today that he’s “stepping back” from his duties on long-running dance competition series So You Think You Can Dance, after multiple women—including former series judge Paula Abdul—accused him of sexual assault. Per Deadline, series co-creator Lythgoe issued a statement today, writing that, “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. 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.”

Although he took the last season off, choreographer Lythgoe has been the longest-serving regular panelist on the 20-plus season series, which he co-created after the success of American Idol, which he served as a producer on. Last week, he was hit by two lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault; in Abdul’s case, that included accusations that he assaulted her twice, once during her time on Idol, and then many years later, when she was working as a judge on So You Think You Can Dance. The other lawsuit was issued by two Jane Does alleging that Lythgoe attempted to coerce them into sex during an after-party for short-lived reality series All American Girl.