Paula Abdul appeared on Barbara Walters’ Sirius XM radio show Barbara Live! Monday night and accused American Idol producers of forcing her to come face-to-face with her known stalker Paula Goodspeed for “entertainment value,” People reports. Producers allowed Goodspeed, who was found dead of an apparent suicide outside of Abdul’s home on Nov. 11, to audition for American Idol‘s fifth season despite the fact that she’d been allegedly sending Abdul “disturbing letters” for more than a decade, Abdul claimed. “I said, ‘This girl is a stalker of mine. Please do not let her in.’ Everyone knew. I was shaking,’” she’s quoted as saying in the interview. She claimed producers insisted Goodspeed be allowed to audition because it would “be fun for them to cause me stress.” She also added that Goodspeed showed up at other auditions and obtained her address by following her home from one of them, and told Walters that she’s stilll with Idol because, “Well, I’m under contract.” (A spokeswoman for Fox had no comment.)
More on Paula Abdul:
Don’t blame Idol for Goodspeed’s death
A recap of the 2006 ‘American Idol’ episode featuring Paula Goodspeed, criticizing Simon’s ridicule of her braces
EW’s ‘American Idol’ headquarters
People.com: Paula Goodspeed Went to Abdul’s House Before
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I am not sure about Paula’s story. It’s sounds like someone fed up with the show and looking to leave as soon as she can. And is trying to burn her bridges. I doubt FOX would knowingly put someone on the show if it on record they were doing something criminal to one of the judges. Entertainment is one thing, but encouragement is another. Paula has kept silent and allowed more fools to be shown to the world and not said one word. Now the “fan” is dead and she’s blasting…
Sounds weird. Now if FOX did do it. Shame on them. But I am not sure I buy Paula’s story.
This is something producers would eat up…I’m not surprised in the least they pushed/forced Paula to do something like this.
Doesn’t surprise me she seems fed up with that show – who wouldn’t be at this point?
i’ve had a stalker and let me tell you, it was horrifying.
i could not imagine being in that position. Personally, i would have left, contract or no. Are they going to fire her for missing ONE audition?
Seriously, Stacey? You don’t believe producers would take advantage of, humiliate & encourage stalkers for entertainment value?? Have you ever watched “American Idol”??? They do it every year! I completely believe Paula. The E channel is doing it right now to Clay Aiken. They’ve interviewed a known stalker of his & are giving the creep exactly what he’s been working so hard for over the last 3 years – to be connected to Clay for eternity on national television. Ryan Seacrest & the unconcionable people at E are giving the psycho exactly that for sensationalism’s sake with no regard to how it will only embolden the freak to escalate his harassment. Those who make a living at gossip & exploitative “entertainment” have no souls.
I just watched my dog eat his poop.
i love paula. she is the reason im watching this show. i hate american idol right now for doing this to an innocent defense less little woman. because that is exactly what paula abdul is.
i love you paula! Stay strong!
the one who I blame is Nigel. he was the one in charge when Paula G went to audition.
Nigel Lythgoe was the producer of this show. I have no doubt that he put that girl on the show regardless of her stalker background. The only thing he cares about is ratings. It’s a good thing he’s not producing AI anymore.
love her. she is the reason why I am watching American Idol. not simon or the contestants. but her, all the way.
Fox had no comment? of course not. AI get rid of giving air time to pathetic auditions that only feeds the hunger of the needy and crazy. just showcase the normal folks who have talent and didnt make the cut….not the desperate. its silly and at this point, fabricated.
I enjoy American Idol once they get to the 24 finalists, but I never watch the beginning of the season which is intended to humiliate people. Maybe they will learn a lesson from this, but I doubt it.
Is Nigel really on the hook for this? I thought he was off Idol and focusing on SYTYCD?
Cubie…
Yes I watch, yes I know the show shows the freaks for the first part of the season before it gets into the legitimate contenders. I am not saying it’s completely not on AI. But but Paula did participate all these years. This woman wasn’t the first example. And yet Paula stayed after the incident in which she says the show forced onto her, for entertertaiment. But if this woman was a stalker for so long of Paula’s; and they knew…they would open them up to a lawsuit. Although we don’t know both sides. But while AI likes to take advantage of kids. I think it’s easy for Paula to blast the show since she has been reported this season unhappy that they brought in a fourth judge. Making her status of the solo female useless. So I not saying it’s AI’s fault when the timing is suspicious. Why wasn’t she vocal about AI’s part of it when the stalker woman was still alive. It’s easy to speak out now that the fan is dead and she has the public’s sympathy.
Not sure who to side with here. On the one hand, I can totally believe that the AI producers would put an unbalanced stalker-fan on the show if they thought it would have entertainment value, without knowing, understanding, or caring about the consequences. On the other hand, Paula herself is crazy as a sack of hamsters, and clearly unhappy that she has to share the stage with her own replacement, so I can see her trying to get at the producers any way she can.
The truth is probably somewhere in the middle– that the woman had sent her fan mail that was creepy but not prosecutable, and Paula made some protesting comment that got overruled, but never put up the kind of argument she’s claiming. After all, we’ve all seen the judges leave the room plenty of times, with no apparent consequences.