Nigel Lythgoe accused of sexual assault by two additional women

Nigel Lythgoe smiles and poses with his hands in pockets while clad in a dark blue suit jacket and a light blue dress shirt

By Jonah ValdezStaff Writer

Jan. 3, 2024 2:47 PM PT

Two additional women have come forward accusing Nigel Lythgoe of sexual assault, days after Paula Abdul sued the “So You Think You Can Dance” producer.

The latest allegations are part of a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court by two women — identified as former contestants Jane Doe K.G. and Jane Doe K.N. of the short-lived series “AAG,” which is believed to be a reference to Lythgoe’s “All American Girl.”

The complaint, obtained Wednesday by The Times, was filed against John Roe N.L., a pseudonym for Lythgoe, The Times has confirmed. Other parties in the lawsuit include Lythgoe’s production company, an unnamed New York corporation and 100 other unnamed individuals, and it alleges negligence, sexual assault/battery, sexual harassment, gender violence and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

The women accuse Lythgoe of making unwanted sexual advances and forcibly kissing them inside his Los Angeles home during filming of the competition game show in 2003. The plaintiffs also allege that Lythgoe visited the all-female contestants’ dressing room and “openly swatted and groped” K.G., K.N. and other contestants’ buttocks and that employees, contractors and representatives of the show’s production saw Lythgoe’s alleged behavior and failed to intervene or prevent further possible abuse. The complaint said the behavior “was openly accepted.”

Representatives for Lythgoe did not immediately respond Wednesday to The Times’ requests for comment.

Lythgoe is facing a separate lawsuit filed by Abdul, who alleges that the producer sexually assaulted her twice while working together on his shows “American Idol” and “So You Think You Can Dance.” The singer and dancer joined a growing list of accusers who have filed lawsuits under California’s Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act, which allows survivors of sexual assault to sue beyond the usual statute of limitations.

The producer denied Abdul’s allegations, calling them “false” and “deeply offensive to me and to everything I stand for.” He called his relationship with Abdul “entirely platonic,” saying she was a friend and colleague, and he vowed to “fight this appalling smear with everything I have.”

Other recent high-profile lawsuits filed under the state law have levied sexual assault allegations against Jermaine Jackson and former Recording Academy chief Mike Greene. Sean “Diddy” Combs, Antonio “L.A.” Reid and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler have been sued under a similar New York law.

Some questions have risen around whether the latest lawsuit filed by the “AAG” contestants will hold up in court. Their suit was filed Jan. 2, several days after the Dec. 31 deadline for one of the filing windows under the act, which was enacted in 2023 and runs through 2026, with filing windows depending on when incidents are alleged to have taken place. . Also, the law requires a survivor to be 18 years or older at the time of the alleged incident.

The new complaint lists Jane Doe K.G.’s birth year as 1997. A person close to the matter who was not authorized to discuss it publicly confirmed to The Times that her correct birth year is 1979, which would make her around 24 at the time of the alleged incident. The person also said that since the filing deadline fell on a holiday weekend, the complaint was filed the next day that courts were open.

According to the complaint, when filming on “AAG” ended in May 2003, contestants and the show’s crew and executives attended a wrap party. K.G., a resident of Comal County, Texas, and her fellow contestant, K.N., a resident of Travis County, Texas, were at the party, along with N.L..

After the party, as the cast and crew began to head to the show’s studio, Lythgoe allegedly insisted that K.N. ride back with him after “taking an unusual interest” in her, and K.G. joined them in the car “to ensure her colleague was not left alone.” Other cast and crew saw the pair joining Lythgoe in his personal car, the suit said.

Rather than driving back to the studio, according to the complaint, N.L. drove the two women to his L.A. home, where he repeatedly made unwanted sexual advances. During one instance, he allegedly lifted his sweater over K.G.’s head, wrapped her in his sweater and attempted to kiss her and pushed her body against his. She rejected the advance and tried to free herself. That same night, he allegedly pinned K.N. against a grand piano and pressed his body against hers, forcing his mouth and tongue onto her “despite her numerous statements telling him not to and attempts to pull her face away from his.”

“When Plaintiff K.G. saw this and protested, Defendant N.L. finally surrendered,” the lawsuit said. The complaint seeks damages to be determined at a trial.

Meanwhile, pressure is beginning to mount for companies doing business with Lythgoe, specifically Fox, which airs his show “So You Think You Can Dance.” The long-running dance competition was renewed for its 18th season in December, with Lythgoe returning as an executive producer and judge. At least one petition — started by antisexism advocacy group UltraViolet — has sprung up amid news of the second lawsuit, calling on Fox to drop Lythgoe. The petition, launched Wednesday, is addressed to Allison Wallach, Fox Entertainment’s president of unscripted programming.

“We cannot stay silent while Fox profits from and promotes a known abuser,” the petition said.

Representatives for Fox Entertainment did not immediately respond to The Times’ requests for comment.