JoJo Siwa Returns To ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ To Replace Nigel Lythgoe Following Sexual Assault Accusations

Peter White

26 January 2024 at 5:30 pm·1-min read

JoJo Siwa is back on So You Think You Can Dance.

Siwa, who was a judge on Season 17 of the Fox show, will replace Nigel Lythgoe as a judge on Season 18.

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This comes after he exited the show following a number of sexual assault complaints.

Siwa will sit alongside Allison Holker and Maksim Chmerkovskiy on the judging panel. Cat Deeley will host the series, which premieres on March 4.

It’s not clear whether the show had to do any reshoots following Lythgoe’s departure.

Lythgoe, the co-creator, lead judge and exec producer of So You Think You Can Dance, is the subject of two sexual misconduct lawsuits, including one filed by Paula Abdul who accused him of assaulting her twice over the past 20 years.

Lythgoe, who was nicknamed Nasty Nigel by the British tabloid press when he was a judge on British competition series Popstars, stepped down on January 5. He said he was “dedicating myself to clearing my name and restoring my reputation”.

That move came a few days after it emerged that Lythgoe was the subject of an investigation by Sony Pictures Television’s 19 Entertainment, which co-produces SYTYCD with Dick Clark Productions.

The series is executive produced by Daniel Martin who also serves as showrunner and Barry Adelman, Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman. Cat Deeley also serves as producer.

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