Former Idol Boss Disputes Abdul's Claim of Intentional Cruelty
Nigel Lythgoe
She said, now he said.
Former American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe has denied Paula Abdul's claim that the show's execs purposely allowed Abdul's alleged longtime stalker, Paula Goodspeed, to audition for the judging panel during Season 5. Goodspeed was found dead of an apparent suicide near Abdul's home last month.
"You do not take somebody in that room that you believe is a danger to herself or a danger to Paula," Lythgoe told People at a promotional event for his new NBC show, Superstars of Dance. "That would not enter our heads."
"We were wheeling her in as a huge fan of Paula Abdul," Lythgoe said. "This is what we knew: [She] was a lovely girl, and a great fan of Paula."
Abdul claimed in a Good Morning America interview earlier this week that she had asked the Idol producers to not let Goodspeed audition, but had her plea ignored. "I honestly say I can't remember the conversation," Lythgoe said on Thursday. "If that's what [Paula] said, I believe her."
Abdul also told Barbara Walters' XM radio show that she believes Goodspeeds' "surprise" audition was intended to upset her and ultimately "ruin my career."
Lythgoe would rather the whole topic be dropped. "I'm really sad for [Goodspeed's] family," said Lythgoe. "For [this subject] to come back four weeks [after the suicide], I'm really sad we're still talking about it."