The real reason we don't hear from Paula Abdul anymore

When Paula Abdul announced she was going on tour with New Kids on the Block and Boyz II Men in 2017, it was her first tour announcement in 25 years, according to Billboard. It doesn't seem entirely possible that it's been that long since we've seen Abdul on stage and performing, partially because she's been in the public eye as a judge on American Idol and The X Factor. But just what's been keeping her off the stage — and out of the recording studio — is more complicated than that.



The Corey Clark lawsuits

During American Idol's second season, contestant Corey Clark was booted from the show for failing to disclose his criminal record when he auditioned. When ET did their round-up of biggest show scandals, Clark made the list — but not for his elimination. Two years after he was dropped off the show, he came forward with the stunning revelation that he had been involved in a torrid affair with Paula Abdul. Clark claimed the fling had lasted for three months, and that she had not only paid him that kind of special attention, but she had given him guidance on how to take home the American Idol trophy, too.

Abdul's camp denied the entire thing, and denounced it as nothing more than lies. Independent counsel agreed, finding there was absolutely nothing to actually support the claims. Later, Clark would go on to sue others, including Fox, E! Entertainment and MTV for defamation, and filed a petition with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission stating that he was the victim of racial discrimination when he was disqualified from American Idol in the first place. The Hollywood Reporter got a hold of the official defamation complaint, which claimed that not only was the investigation done into his accusations a complete sham, but that he had been threatened with legal action to keep him from writing a book on his experiences. He went so far as to say that the entire episode had left him at "absolute rock bottom", and suicidal.

In 2014, RadarOnline reported that the $120 million lawsuit had been dismissed. No evidence of misconduct was found, there was nothing to support accusations that they had been intimately involved, and the court ruled that Clark had waited too long to file the suit anyway.

Tanning troubles

In 2014, Abdul was on the giving end of her own lawsuit against UVASUN West, Inc. According to documents acquired by The Hollywood Reporter, Abdul had suffered second- and third-degree burns after a tanning treatment was done wrong. The claim involved her purchase of a SlimStar infrared body wrap treatment, which left her with full-body burns that were particularly bad on her left leg.

The lawsuit also specified that in addition to her need to seek medical and surgical attention, she was left with permanent injuries and had suffered financial losses during the time she needed to recover. Just how long she was out of the public eye and recovering from her injuries isn't clear, but she also cited mental strain as part of the reason for the lawsuit.




The million-dollar driveway 

In 2009, Abdul was sued by Jill Kohl. According to Kohl, she fell in Abdul's driveway and was left not only in severe pain after the incident, but needing several back surgeries. The fall, which happened in 2007, happened during the filming of Abdul's reality show Hey Paula.

E! News reported on the end of the lawsuit, and that only came in February 2012. According to them, the parties' lawyers were able to broker a deal before the case went to trial, and the insurance companies were left to hand out the $900,000 settlement. In addition to that staggering number, Hey Paula's production company, Scott Sternberg Productions, kicked in an additional $100,000. It didn't go unnoticed that the announcement came only a day after Abdul tweeted, "Having a blast on @RoyalCaribbean Oasis of the Seas this week  ) so many cool things to do & plenty of sunshine!!"

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