Which 'Idol' Costar Would Paula Abdul Want to Be Quarantined With?
Paula Abdul is quarantined with her dogs amid the coronavirus pandemic, but if she had to pick a former American Idol costar to self-isolate with she couldn’t choose just one.
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“I would love to be quarantined with them, have one week with the whole gang back together again, it would be really fun,” the former American Idol judge, 58, exclusively told Us Weekly on a recent episode of Quarantine Confessions while promoting her partnership with Voltaren.
Abdul served on the judging panel of the reality competition series for eight seasons from 2002 to 2010 alongside Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson. The trio became known for their banter and differing opinions on contestants. The “Straight Up” singer told Us in June that one of their biggest disagreements was over season 7 winner David Cook.
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“I threatened to quit the show because I believed so much in David Cook, and Simon [Cowell] and Randy [Jackson] weren’t big believers,” Abdul recalled. “I said, ‘This is crazy. I think this guy can win.’ This was before The Green Mile. It was right after Hollywood Week. And I said, ‘You guys are wrong. You’re wrong. And I’m so steadfast on this. He can win this show.’ And that is the truth.”
She added, “So we shut down production for hours and hours, until they finally gave in. It was like, the producers let me fight it out with Simon and Randy, because Randy initially was going for David Cook and then he changed his mind because Simon got to him.”
The choreographer has been enjoying her solo time in quarantine and has picked up cooking as a new hobby.
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“I’ve been cooking a lot and that’s been fun because I’m by myself,” Abdul said. “So there’s no really big reason for me to cook, but I’ve been taking pictures and my friends go, ‘Oh my God, I cannot believe you’ve cooked that. It looks amazing.’ And I’m just like ‘Yeah, I did it.'”
However, the California native still craves human connection and has one activity at the top of her to-do list after the pandemic — hugging people.
“I’ve been a hugger since I was a baby,” Abdul said. “No one’s ever been a stranger to me and I miss human contact. I miss that interaction. I just miss people.”
For more of Abdul’s Quarantine Confessions, watch the exclusive video above.
