Paula Abdul: Music video history, Janet Jackson & American Idol

Q | Sep 9, 2024

In the late ‘80s, Paula Abdul helped define what a pop star could be, from dance to music to performance. If you were watching music videos at that time, you would have seen her on your screen. If you weren’t around for that, you may remember her as one of the original judges on “American Idol” from 2002 to 2009. Paula sits down with guest host Talia Schlanger to reflect on how she was discovered by the Jackson family, what it was like choreographing for some of the biggest superstars in the world while she was still a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers, and her philosophy as a mentor.

WNYC is funded by sponsors and member donations

WNYC Homepage - Top Stories

LIRR service resumes as MTA recovers from strike

Service slowly returned to the nation's busiest commuter railroad on Tuesday after a three-day worker strike came to an end.

Gothamist |

Mayor Mamdani to appear on WNYC’s ‘Ask the Mayor' with Brian Lehrer

The mayor will join the show for quarterly interviews beginning Tuesday, June 2.

Gothamist |

Hantavirus Fact and Fiction

Katelyn Jetelina talks about hantavirus, what the risks are and how prepared the US is for a pandemic

The Brian Lehrer Show |

The History Wars and America at 250, with the Historian Jill Lepore

Three prominent historians discuss a national milestone arriving in the midst of a politically charged conflict over how Americans see the past. It’s a “goat rodeo,” Lepore says.

The New Yorker Radio Hour |