Nigel Lythgoe stands at a ceremony honoring him with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on July 9, 2021 in Los Angeles.
Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
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Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
Nigel Lythgoe stands at a ceremony honoring him with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on July 9, 2021 in Los Angeles.
Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
Nigel Lithgow announced on Friday that he is stepping down as host of the popular TV show So you think you can dance.
The 74-year-old producer and choreographer's decision comes about a week after his prominent host, TV personality, actress and singer Paula Abdul, filed a sexual assault lawsuit against him.
Lythgoe denied the allegations.
“I have informed the producers So you think you can dance “It is my decision to step back from participating in this year's series,” Lythgoe said in a statement shared with NPR about his decision to resign from the TV show. “I did so with a heavy heart but completely voluntarily because this wonderful program has always been about dance and dancers, and that is where its focus should remain.”
In the meantime, Lythgoe said he plans to devote himself to clearing his name.
Lithgow was known for giving harsh criticism, and was a judge So you think you can dance Since its inception in 2005. He has also produced television competition shows Pop star, American Idol And Dancing stars.
slave Civil suitfiled in Los Angeles County Superior Court on December 29, alleges that Lithgow physically attacked her on two occasions — first, during her time as a flight attendant. American Idol In the early 2000s, when Lithgow allegedly molested and kissed her in a hotel elevator during a regional audition tour for the show; The second, in 2015, during a dinner party shortly after Abdul agreed to be a judge So you think you can dance.
“As in the previous incident, Abdul feared she would be retaliated against or banned if she spoke publicly about the incident,” Abdul’s lawyers, Johnson & Johnson LLP, said in the complaint.
Season eighteen of So you think you can dance It is scheduled to premiere on March 4. It will be hosted by Allison Holker and Maxim Chmerkovskiy.
The show's producers, Fox, 19 Entertainment and Dick Clark Productions, did not immediately respond to NPR's requests for comment; Nor legal representation for a slave.
in statement Shared with diverseProducers said next season would go ahead, “despite the absence of Nigel Lithgow, to ensure the show remains committed to its contestants, who have worked incredibly hard for the opportunity to compete on our stage.”
. “Professional creator. Lifelong thinker. Reader. Beer buff. Troublemaker. Evil problem solver.”