In 2002, Paula Abdul appeared as one of three judges for the reality television music competition show American Idol. Paula Abdul, along with fellow judges Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson, was to evaluate the talent of a large group of young amateur singers, eliminate most of them in various audition rounds, and then judge the finalists as American television viewers voted on which finalists who continue to each successive round, until all but the winner remained. Paula Abdul won praise as a sympathetic and compassionate judge. She seemed especially so when her critiques were compared against those of fellow judge Simon Cowell, who was often cruelly blunt in his appraisals of the contestants' performances. When she realized that Cowell's over-the-top judging style was heartbreaking for many young contestants, Abdul was so horrified, she considered leaving the show. Although their differences often resulted in extremely heated on-air exchanges and confrontations, Simon Cowell says he played a major role in convincing Paula Abdul not to walk off.


Now a bonafide television celebrity, Paula Abdul accepted a second gig as reporter for Entertainment Tonight. She continued to attract attention during subsequent seasons of American Idol; her desire to find something positive in almost every performance, her emotion-laden praise for contestants whose style she really liked, and her unique fingers-bent-outwards handclapping style were all lampooned by Amy Poehler on Saturday Night Live sketches.

Follow up:

During 2004, public concern for Paula Abdul began growing as a result of some apparently erratic behavior during episodes of American Idol. When rumors of drug or alcohol abuse began to swirl, Paula Abdul went to People magazine to explain that she had been diagnosed with reflex sympathetic dystrophy and was undergoing successful treatment.




In May 2005, ABC's newsmagazine Primetime Live reported claims by Season 2 Idol contestant Corey Clark that he and Paula Abdul had had an affair during that season, and that she had coached him on how to succeed in the competition. The fact that Clark came forward at a time when he was marketing a CD and trying to get a book deal was seen as suspicious by some. For the most part, Paula Abdul refused to comment on Clark's allegations. At the height of the debacle, Paula Abdul appeared in a Saturday Night Live skit, making light of the situation. While Fox launched an investigation, Paula Abdul received numerous calls of support from celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey; Barbara Walters even addressed the camera during an episode of ABC's The View to say she was ashamed to be part of an operation that would report Clark's flimsy tabloid claims under the guise of a news story.


In August 2005 the Fox network announced that, after hiring lawyers from two impartial law firms who conducted almost 600 hours of interviews with 43 people (including Paula Abdul and Clark), no evidence was found to substantiate Clark's claims that he had an affair with Paula Abdul or that she helped him during the contest. Paula Abdul did admit to investigators that she had telephone conversations with Clark during the competition, but her account of those talks differed from Clark’s. The network confirmed that she would be returning to the show, as the investigation had found "insufficient evidence that the communications between Mr. Clark and Ms. Abdul in any way aided his performance." Season 5 of the show premiered on January 15, 2006, with Paula Abdul reappearing as a judge.