Paula Abdul's Most Controversial Moments
It's no secret that Paula Abdul was everyone's favorite judge on "American Idol" during her eight seasons. While Simon Cowell gave the most criticism, and Randy Jackson is known for his tenure (the longest-serving judge to date), Abdul was always able to make contestants feel good — even if their singing missed the mark. She grew up in California and started taking dance lessons when she was eight years old. The performer got her start when she joined the L.A. Lakers cheerleaders, ultimately dropping out of college to serve as head choreographer of the team.
Her dancing skills paid off, and she went on to choreograph for the likes of The Jacksons and the Rolling Stones. Abdul had a hit on her hands when she released the popular track "Straight Up", cementing her status as a multi-faceted and talented artist. She made her way to "American Idol" in 2002 and served as a judge from the very first season of the show until 2009.
Once Abdul's stint on "American Idol" ended, she went off to offer her expertise — and charisma — as a judge on "RuPaul's Drag Race", "Dancing With the Stars", and "The X Factor." While she's known for burying any critique under dozens of compliments, she provided the balance that the public needed for so many years between Jackson's decorated "dawg" vocabulary and Cowell's bluntness. Despite her infectious personality, Abdul has seen her fair share of controversy in her many years in the spotlight. We're breaking down Paula Abdul's most controversial moments.
She got called out for over-editing her Instagram
Calling all Facetune trolls — Paula Abdul isn't getting away from this firestorm. The former "X Factor" judge had critics buzzing when she posted a slideshow of holiday photos to her Instagram, causing people to take a closer look. The "Opposites Attract" looks fresh-faced and young in the pics, and fans were quick to point out that it looks too good to be true. "Who is this cause i know damn well it's not Paula Abdul," one user tweeted on a photo of the singer posing next to Kathy Hilton. "Someone needs to delete FaceApp from Paula Abdul's phone," another commented, alongside a skull emoji.
The former "American Idol" judge captioned the photo "@kathyhilton always throws the most fabulous holiday party," alongside Christmas-themed emojis, adding, "Merry Christmas! I hope everyone is having a wonderful day relaxing, celebrating and surrounded by friends and family. Sending you lots of love and holiday cheer." Abdul ignored the haters, and the post is still up, as of this writing. While we may never know whether or not she FaceTuned herself to look 19 or she's got a great doctor, she looks fabulous.
An American Idol contestant claims he had sex with her
It might be difficult to become the next "American Idol", but if you're sleeping with Paula Abdul, your odds certainly get better. That's exactly how former contestant Corey Clark felt when he claimed that he had a sexual relationship with Abdul. According to the Daily Mail, Clark believed he was unfairly portrayed in an episode of E!'s "True Hollywood Story" that centered around the former judge. He alleges the affair took place in 2003 when he was a contestant on the show, claiming he had unprotected sex with the singer several times. According to producers, Clark made it to the top six before he was disqualified from the competition due to issues with his criminal background. However, Clark alleges that's untrue and that he told them about his arrest during his first audition.
E! Network responded to Clark's allegations in court documents, saying, "The documentary 'E! THS' presented was a fair, accurate and balanced report of two sides of a controversy, as reported on by numerous news sources and as told by the people intimately involved." The "Opposites Attract" singer was cleared of all accusations when Fox and "Idol" producers launched their own investigation and found no evidence of wrongdoing. "We have determined . . . that there is insufficient evidence that the communications between Mr. Clark and Ms. Abdul in any way aided his performance [on the show]," Fox and producers of the show said at the time (via New York Post).
When she couldn't name an American Idol winner from the reboot
Paula Abdul may have served as a judge on "American Idol" for eight seasons, but it certainly isn't helping jog her memory about the show's winners. During a segment of "Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen" (via E! Online), she was asked if she could name a winner from the show's ABC reboot and the choreographer failed to come up with a single name. "I can't, I'm sorry. I can't," she said, to which Cohen replied, "Kind of seemed like the heyday is over, don't you think?" The former LA Lakers cheerleader quipped back, "Well there was nothing like the original cast," adding "I mean it was such an incredible show and it changed the trajectory of everyone's lives and careers and television."
The singer chalked it up to not having time to catch up, admitting that she loved the new judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie. She also revealed that she had nothing but love for her replacement Ellen DeGeneres, who took her spot when she left the show in 2009. "First of all I was ready to leave so I had already made peace with that and I thought Ellen would be great, I really did," she shared. The former judge walked out after negotiations for raising her salary didn't go according to plan. Her salary at the time was around $2 to $3 million a year, and she allegedly wanted two to three times more than that.
How she really feels about her former co-stars
Paula Abdul has some choice words for her former co-stars and "American Idol" judges Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell. The choreographer filled in as a guest judge for Luke Bryan on the show in 2021, and referred to her fellow judge Cowell as an "STD." During a break, host Ryan Seacrest got a call from Randy Jackson who said "It feels like old times, right?" to which Abdul jokingly replied, "We're just missing the STD." She went on to clarify, calling her former co-star a "Super-Talented... Debonair." Jackson was watching the show at home and gave Abdul major props on her return stint as a guest judge.
While Abdul and Cowell's relationship has often been portrayed as love-hate over their years of judging together, it's all love with her former co-star Randy Jackson. The two appeared on "The Kelly Clarkson Show" together, and Abdul admitted that she met her friend when she took her student dancers backstage at a Journey show, where Jackson played bass for the rock band. The choreographer met the bass player when she was just 17 years old, making it a friendship lasting over four decades.
The dynamic duo returned for a revival episode together in 2022 called "The Great Idol Reunion," where they were behind the table together yet again. The "STD" however, was missing from the program, busy planning his "X Factor" reboot.
She was accused of having a drinking problem
Paula Abdul wants the world to know she doesn't have a drinking problem... or a drug addiction for that matter. The former "Idol" judge had the public speculating when an old Fox interview resurfaced of her appearing less than put together on Reddit. Abdul struggles to answer questions in the tape, and the anchors eventually take a break from the segment and blame it on the audio as the singer seems unable to sit still and give coherent responses. "She seemed really zoned out a couple of times on American Idol. Makes me wonder what was in those little Coca-Cola glasses in front of them," one user commented on the thread.
A former Ladies Home Journal story (via MTV) on the choreographer detailed her alleged struggles with painkiller addiction, quoting her as saying "I could have killed myself. ... Withdrawal — it's the worst thing ... But at my very core, I did not like existing the way I had been." The magazine had claimed she had checked into rehab to get professional help, but Abdul refuted those claims and said she was misquoted. "It was very stressful for me to hear that and to be quoted saying something I never said," Abdul told the "Mojo in the Morning" show (via MTV.) "I've never checked into a rehab clinic. I've never been addicted or abused drugs, and I've never been addicted or abused alcohol. I've never even been drunk in my life."
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
The Paulagate fiasco
It was the critique heard around the world, and what people called "Paulagate." Paula Abdul turned heads on an episode of "American Idol" when the former judge critiqued a contestant's second song before he had even sung it. The five contestants had to sing two songs but didn't receive feedback until all five had finished the first round of singing. Abdul gives positive feedback for his first performance but had notes for his second song — which he had yet to sing. When Randy Jackson corrects her, saying "Oh, they've just done the first song though, just the first one." she quickly backtracks saying, "Oh my god, I thought you sang twice."
Abdul ultimately coughed it up to the difficult format of the episode. "You know what? This is hard! ... I'm looking at your notes, David! You're fantastic!" But it was clearly a mishap that some speculated could be due to production pre-writing comments for the judges to read. A Fox spokesperson declined to comment on the incident, and Abdul couldn't be reached for comment at the time. Can you blame her though? It's just Paula being Paula after all, and being the most charismatic "American Idol" judge earns her some credit in our book.
Paula Abdul faces off against her critics
Paula Abdul had her day in court — and won. Background singer Yvette Marine filed a multi-million dollar suit against the "Straight Up" singer in 1991 claiming that her vocals were used on two tracks on Abdul's "Forever Your Girl" album. According to the Los Angeles Times, Marine claimed that Virgin Records electronically combined lead "guide" vocals with Abdul's without consent, falsely showcasing the tracks in question as one voice. The background singer lost the suit, however, after a jury deliberated for just three hours and ultimately rejected her claims. "I worked hard to get where I am in this business," Abdul said at the time, adding, "and I'm proud that Virgin Records fought the case."
It wouldn't be the only time Abdul has come under fire for her vocals, however. The choreographer caused a Twitter firestorm when clips from her 2022 Thanksgiving Day Parade performance had mixed reactions. "I'm sorry but Paula Abdul just delivered one of the greatest parade performances of all time. Starting with a tap break on the Jennie-O float?!? C'mon now!" one user wrote. "Lip-synching is one thing but now we get fake tap dancing. Is anything real anymore?" another commented. Despite her performances coming under fire — it's no question that the former "Idol" has better moves than most of us. "I don't care how auto-tuned this Paula Abdul performance is because it is GIVING ME LIFE! #BBMAs" tweeted one user about her 2019 Billboard Music Awards performance.