Earlier this week, returning "American Idol" executive producer Nigel Lythgoe said he would like Paula Abdul back as a judge, but apparently he didn’t know that she cannot return to the Fox show because of her contract with CBS for "Got to Dance," according to E! Online.

Abdul’s deal with the new CBS dance competition show prohibits her appearing on any similar type of show, such as "Idol." A source told E! Online, "If Paula did ‘Idol’ she would get sued bigtime by Viacom. She’s locked in exclusively with CBS."