Nigel Lythgoe net worth: American Idol producer's fortune explored in wake of Paula Abdul assault lawsuit 

Disclaimer: The following article discusses s*xual assault. Reader’s discretion is advised.

Singer Paula Abdul has filed a lawsuit against American Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe. The former accused the latter of s*xually assaulting her multiple times. At the time of writing this article, the latter has not publicly addressed the accusations.

In the bombshell lawsuit, Paula Abdul alleged that Nigel Lythgoe shoved her against a wall and groped her intimates in a hotel elevator. He also reportedly assaulted her when he had invited her to his residence.

Lythgoe also reportedly verbally harassed and bullied Abdul. The latter also claimed that she was paid less than other male judges on American Idol. She also claimed that the show would be edited misleadingly under Lythgoe's leadership to make her appear incompetent.

The musician also accused the television executive of s*xually harassing one of her assistants in April 2015.

Paula Abdul, who was also a judge of Lythgoe’s So You Think You Can Dance, claimed that the latter taunted her years after the assaults by saying- “the statute of limitations had run.”

As the 61-year-old musician accuses the 74-year-old of s*xual harassment, she has also filed a lawsuit against 10 Entertainment, FremantleMedia North America, American Idol Productions, and Dance Nation Productions for failing to take decisive disciplinary actions against Lythgoe and protecting him from taking accountability.

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Nigel Lythgoe is worth $150 million

For those uninitiated, the UK producer has been a writer and executive for So You Think You Can Dance, American Idol, and Gladiators, amongst others. He was married to Bonnie Lythgoe. However, the parents of the two separated.

Nigel Lythgoe has been awarded the Officer of the Order of the British Empire and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for television, amongst other accolades.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, he boasts a fortune of $150 million. Most of his wealth has been made from the shows he has produced and taken part in, including The Rolf Harris Show, It’s Lulu, Vera Lynn, Bud ‘n’ Ches, Mates and Music, Bob’s Your Uncle, The Thoughts of Chairman Alf, The Big Big Talent Show etc.

According to the website, he paid $7 million for a 7,000-square-foot mansion in Las Vegas in 2005. He went on to relist the same for $5 million. The executive television producer also owns a 5,025-square-foot property in Bel Air, listed at $13 million in March 2020.

Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick also co-own California's Villa San-Juliette Vineyard and Winery. The investment property was bought for $5.2 million in 2005. In 2022, it was put up for sale for $22 million.

As mentioned, Nigel Lythgoe has not addressed the lawsuit publicly. However, he had spoken about the Straight Up singer in the past, where he said,

“We’ve known each other for so long now. To be honest, I was an admirer of Paula back in the U.K. before I came here to the States. To be able to work with her on Idol for all those years and see how she was mistreated by Simon… so abused and mistreated.”

He also chillingly said later on, “I wanted to be the next person to abuse her,” which, in light of the lawsuit, doesn't show the producer in a good light.