Nigel Lythgoe poses 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 poses 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 Lythgoe introduced Friday he’s is stepping down from internet hosting the favored TV present So You Think You Can Dance.

The 74-year-old producer and choreographer’s choice comes round every week after his high-profile co-host, TV persona, actor and singer Paula Abdul, filed a sexual assault lawsuit against him.

Lythgoe has denied the allegations.

“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,” stated Lythgoe in a press release shared with NPR about his choice to resign from the TV present. “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.”

Lythgoe stated within the meantime he plans to dedicate himself to clearing his identify.

Known for meting out harsh critiques, Lythgoe had been a choose on So You Think You Can Dance since its inception in 2005. He additionally produced the TV competitors exhibits Pop Idol, American Idol and Superstars of Dance.

Abdul’s civil lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Dec. 29, alleges Lythgoe attacked her bodily on two events — first, throughout her tenure as a bunch on American Idol within the early 2000s, when Lythgoe allegedly groped and kissed her in a resort elevator throughout a regional audition tour for the present; and second, in 2015, throughout a dinner shortly after Abdul agreed to be a choose on So You Think You Can Dance.

“As with the earlier incident, Abdul feared she would be retaliated against or blackballed if she spoke out about the incident,” Abdul’s attorneys, Johnson & Johnson LLP, said within the criticism.

The eighteenth season of So You Think You Can Dance is scheduled to premiere on March 4. It can be hosted by Allison Holker and Maksim Chmerkovskiy.

The present’s producers, Fox, 19 Entertainment and Dick Clark Productions, didn’t instantly reply to NPR’s requests for remark; neither did Abdul’s authorized illustration.

In a statement shared with Variety, the producers stated the upcoming season will proceed, “although without Nigel Lythgoe, to ensure the show remains committed to the contestants, who have worked incredibly hard for the opportunity to compete on our stage.”