Paula Abdul Has a Lot to Say About the Brutal Critique of American Idol
It looks like the singer was urged not to join the hit show.
Of all the famous singers who rose to fame in the late 80s, Paula Abdul's path to the top was definitely one of the most surprising.
She began her career as a cheerleader for the Lakers and became their head choreographer, staying with the sports team for some time before launching her solo singing career.
After some professional troubles, Abdul was virtually forgotten for almost a decade, only to remind everyone just how great she really is thanks to a little show called American Idol. Both the singer and the TV series benefited from this collaboration, as Abdul's work as a judge on American Idol from 2002 to 2009 was essential to the show becoming the cultural phenomenon we all know today.
However, it looks like Abdul's decision to become a part of American Idol was heavily criticized at the time, as people believed it would be a big flop.
'I disappear for seven years, that's a long time to be away from the business… People go away and stuff. And I showed up on a brand-new show, called American Idol. It was touted that it's gonna be the most cheesy show that will ruin the music industry. And it became like a death star for every other network — if the network dropped 50% in all their ratings, we still were like a 100%,' Abdul said.
It turned out that Paula Abdul backed the right horse and became the center of one of the most popular shows in the world, cementing her legacy as a wonderful dancer and singer. Even though her relationship with co-judge Simon Cowell was a bit problematic, the star has benefited immensely from her time on American Idol, rekindling her fans' love and amassing an impressive net worth of $30 million in the process.
Apart from serving as a judge on American Idol, Abdul also worked as a guest judge on X-Factor UK and was the subject of Bravo's reality show Hey Paula. Back in 2021, Abdul returned to American Idol as a guest judge, replacing Luke Bryan after he was diagnosed with COVID-19.
Source: Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum.