Renowned English television producer and choreographer Nigel Lythgoe has made a lasting impression on the entertainment business. Lythgoe was born in Wallasey, England, on July 9, 1949. Throughout his decades-long career, he has made significant contributions to renowned television programs like “American Idol” and “So You Think You Can Dance.”
His artistic abilities are not limited to television; they also include dance, theater, and philanthropy. Nigel Lythgoe’s net worth, as of the most recent statistics available, is a monument to his varied success and captures the essence of a successful career that has had a tremendous impact on the performing arts and reality television industries.
Nigel Lythgoe Net Worth
With a net worth of $150 million, Nigel Lythgoe OBE is an English director, producer, choreographer, and former dancer for television and movies. English dancer, choreographer, and television mogul Nigel Lythgoe began his career as a television performer with the BBC’s The Young Generation dance ensemble. After that, he began choreographing behind the scenes, working with actors like Ben Vereen and the Muppets.
A decade later, Lythgoe transitioned into a producer and achieved global recognition for works such as “You Bet!” (1989), “Popstars” (2000), “So You Think You Can Dance” (2005), “The Next Great American Band” (2007), and Fox’s “American Idol” (2002).
He was thereafter acknowledged as one of the leading godfathers of early 21st-century reality television. On both the American and British iterations of “So You Think You Can Dance,” Nigel has presided as a judge. Queen Elizabeth II named Nigel an Order of the British Empire in 2015.
Nigel Lythgoe Early Life
Born in Wallasey, Cheshire, England, on July 9, 1949, Nigel Bruce Lythgoe became Nigel Lythgoe. George Percival Lythgoe, a dockworker, and Gertrude Emily Lythgoe were his parents.
At ten years old, Nigel started expressing an interest in dance. Nigel studied modern jazz, classical ballet, ballroom, and other dance forms at the Hylton-Bromley School of Dance and Drama and the Perry Cowell School of Dance.
Lythgoe’s first paid work was dancing for the Corps de Ballet, who recruited him for a nationwide tour of “The Merry Widow.” He started dancing with The Young Generation in 1969, and two years later, he was hired as the group’s choreographer. One of Nigel’s eventual “American Idol” producing partners, Ken Warwick’s fellow members of The Young Generation, was.
Nigel Lythgoe’s Personal Life
In 1974, while serving as the choreographer for the BBC’s Young Generation dance team, Lythgoe got married to Bonita Shawe. In addition, Shawe served as an audition judge for the first season of So You Think You Can Dance and as a judge for the first three seasons of the Australian edition of the show.
2010 saw the couple’s divorce following a protracted separation. Together, they are parents to Simon and Kristopher, two sons. Raquel Welch and Priscilla Presley were two women Lythgoe dated. In Paso Robles, California, he owns the vineyard Villa San Juliette.
In January 2003, he had a heart attack. A burst appendix almost killed him in October 2003. Paula Abdul filed a complaint on December 29, 2023, alleging that Lythgoe had s*xually assaulted her when she worked as a judge on So You Think You Can Dance and American Idol.
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Nigel Lythgoe’s Career
Lythgoe’s career in television was facilitated by his ability to record choreography utilizing multi-camera techniques, among other methods. In the 1970s and 1980s, he shared the stage alongside famous dancers like Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse. Nigel appeared on a number of television programs at this time, such as “Vera Lynn” (1971–1972), “It’s Lulu” (1970–1971), and “The Rolf Harris Show” (1969–1971).
One time, Lythgoe claimed to be “the only person to dance, choreograph, produce, and direct the Royal Variety Performance,” a yearly television spectacular that benefits the Royal Variety Charity. This claim was made to “People” magazine.
In the early 1980s, Nigel started his production career with the television series “Mates and Music” and the 1981 film “Bud ‘n’ Ches.” Producer of “Bob’s Your Uncle” (1991–1992), “Gladiators: The Ashes” (1995–1996), “The Big Big Talent Show” (1997), and “The Thoughts of Chairman Alf” (1998), he joined London Weekend Television in 1995.
Because of his harsh judgment on “Popstars” in 2000, Lythgoe gained the moniker “Nasty Nigel.” The following year, he produced and directed the British version of Planet 24, Bob Geldof’s production business, of the reality competition series “Survivor.”
Later, Nigel rose to the position of President of 19 Television, a division of 19 Entertainment owned by Simon Fuller. “Pop Idol,” a singing competition that Fuller created and Lythgoe developed and produced, became a global phenomenon due to its success, spawning adaptations in over 40 countries and launching the careers of celebrities like Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Carly Rae Jepsen, Jennifer Hudson, Katharine McPhee, Adam Lambert, and Will Young.
After moving to the US in 2002 to produce the blockbuster show “American Idol,” Nigel went on to co-create “So You Think You Can Dance,” where he served as a judge and producer. After leaving “American Idol” in 2008, Lythgoe and Fuller founded Big Red 2 Entertainment in 2009.
He came back to “American Idol” in 2010 to produce the tenth season of the competition, a position he held until 2014. Nigel has shown up in the movies “Eyes of Faith” (2018), “Cilla: The Lost Tapes” (2020), and “Move” (2020) and created the television shows “Dance School Diaries” (2014), “Easiest Game Show Ever” (2016), and “Every Single Step” (2016).
