Nigel Lythgoe steps down from “So You Think You Can Dance” amid sexual assault allegations
The series co-creator and longtime judge said he's "dedicating myself to clearing my name and restoring my reputation."
FOX Image Collection via Getty
Nigel Lythgoe on 'So You Think You Can Dance'Nigel Lythgoe, the So You Think You Can Dance co-creator and longtime judge, is stepping down from the reality competition series amid multiple allegations of sexual assault against him.
Lythgoe, 74, said in a statement Friday, "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."
Fox, which airs SYTYCD, and producers 19 Entertainment and Dick Clark Productions confirmed Lythgoe's departure and said in a joint statement that the show "remains committed to the contestants, who have worked incredibly hard for the opportunity to compete on our stage." They added, "No decision has been made as to a replacement judge for this season."
Season 18 of So You Think You Can Dance is slated to debut March 4, with former contestant and All-Star Allison Holker and Dancing With the Stars alum Maksim Chmerkovskiy serving as judges.
Lythgoe was sued last month by Paula Abdul, who alleged that Lythgoe sexually assaulted her during an early season of American Idol and then again when she was a judge on SYTYCD. She also accused Lythgoe of assaulting her assistant. Lythgoe denied Abdul's allegations, calling them "deeply offensive to me and to everything I stand for."
A second lawsuit against Lythgoe followed days later, filed by two former female contestants on the short-lived reality show All American Girl who allege that he "openly swatted and groped" them and made unwanted advances, according to PEOPLE.
Related content:
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.
