TV Article Paula Abdul calls out 'American Idol' for encouraging stalker By Mandi Bierly Mandi Bierly Mandi Bierly is a former senior writer at Entertainment Weekly. She left EW in 2014. EW's editorial guidelines Updated on August 4, 2020 02:37PM EDT Photo: Michael Becker Paula Abdul appeared on Barbara Walters’ Sirius XM radio show Barbara Live! Monday night and accused American Idol producers of forcing her to come face-to-face with her known stalker Paula Goodspeed for “entertainment value,” People reports. Producers allowed Goodspeed, who was found dead of an apparent suicide outside of Abdul’s home on Nov. 11, to audition for American Idol‘s fifth season despite the fact that she’d been allegedly sending Abdul “disturbing letters” for more than a decade, Abdul claimed. “I said, ‘This girl is a stalker of mine. Please do not let her in.’ Everyone knew. I was shaking,'” she’s quoted as saying in the interview. She claimed producers insisted Goodspeed be allowed to audition because it would “be fun for them to cause me stress.” She also added that Goodspeed showed up at other auditions and obtained her address by following her home from one of them, and told Walters that she’s stilll with Idol because, “Well, I’m under contract.” (A spokeswoman for Fox had no comment.) More on Paula Abdul: Don’t blame Idol for Goodspeed’s death A recap of the 2006 ‘American Idol’ episode featuring Paula Goodspeed, criticizing Simon’s ridicule of her braces: A recap of the 2006 ‘American Idol’ episode featuring Paula Goodspeed, criticizing Simon’s ridicule of her braces EW’s ‘American Idol’ headquarters: EW’s ‘American Idol’ headquarters People.com: Paula Goodspeed Went to Abdul’s House Before: People.com: Paula Goodspeed Went to Abdul’s House Before addCredit(“Michael Becker”)