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Paula Abdul Says She Never Went to Therapy Until She Joined American Idol

The former judge answers all your burning questions about her TV past on #WWHL.

By Jocelyn Vena
Paula Plays Plead the Fifth!

The year was 2007 and fans were let into the world of Paula Abdul on her short-lived Bravo series, Hey Paula. The series ran for several weeks that summer and put a spotlight on what life was like for then then American Idol judge as she was juggling her duties on the hit series as well as several other projects. After nearly a decade, Paula admits that she wishes almost everything, "95 percent" of events to be exact, wasn't captured on camera. "It was a love/hate relationship," she shared on Wednesday's Watch What Happens Live in the clip above. "It's always a life lesson: Think twice before you decide to do a show called Hey Paula."

How to Watch

Tune in to WWHL on Bravo Sunday through Thursday and next day on Peacock. Catch up on the Bravo App.

She may not have warm and fuzzy feelings about her reality show, but she does look back fondly on her eight-season run on American Idol and doesn't feel the need to fill some void by, let's say, joining The Voice. "I'm really happy with the show that I did and I was a part of it from the beginning and [it was a] huge show. I did eight [seasons] but I was there nine years," she said before reflecting on how she knew it was time to leave. "I figured I've never had a job that long. I mean, the president doesn't keep a job after eight years, and I felt like it was time."

However sending her bosses her letter of resignation was a bit stressful. "And I do remember sitting at Del Frisco's with my attorney and calling my house and my assistant and going, 'OK, I'm ready, push send,' [and then being like] 'No, no, no, don't push send.' It was time and I have nothing but the greatest things to say. I had a wonderful time. I feel a great sense of pride on that show," she explained in the clip below, before joking, "I never went therapy until the first season, I went once a week. By the time I left the show, I was going nine times a week."

After Show: Paula’s Housewives Tagline

Below, Paula has a little more fun at American Idol's expense during a game of Shag, Marry, Kill. (You can probably guess what she'd do to Simon Cowell.)

After Show: Would Paula Work with Simon Again?
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