I tried taking the different medications the doctors prescribed, but it was the same old story," she told the magazine. Abduls 2009 Ladies Home Journal interview describes her spending Thanksgiving 2008 weaning herself off of a painkiller addiction: The rumors that her sometimes-bizarre behavior was fueled by drugs just may have been true. But Abdul shakes off such accusations. She released another album in 1995, Head Over Heels, which she promoted, sometimes with the kind of energetically choreographed performances that were her trademark. You can especially see how high she used to be when she was a judge on American Idol. These two are the only records that I have seen that match any part of her story, and neither is a good fit. I started losing all feeling on my right side, and I was starting to really live in excruciating pain. The injuries had a severe impact on her mental state. Odder still is that the National Transportation Safety Boards accidents database lists no record of a plane crash in Iowa at any time between Abduls St. Louis and Denver-area shows in 1992. Has she stated she was alone on the plane besides the pilot? The story changes in bits every time, and there is no documented mention of it at all before Abduls 2003 NBC interview. Not sure why aviation seems to create those false memories. Abdul does not seem to have refuted that she went to a place called La Costa in Carlsbad, California, but she was adamant that it was just a normal spa and she had been there for only three days. "I did the whole first season in pain. Then it would be classified as an incident, as opposed to an accident., (A search of other NTSB reports in Kansas around the time of the supposed Abdul crash pulled up a seemingly minor-sounding one from April 1993, in which a pilot lost control of the plane during a landing roll, resulting in the collapse of landing gear and the right wing tip digging into the ground. Theres certainly no clear-cut evidence proving she was ever an addict, but its also nearly impossible to disprove something. Did Paula Abdul get injured on a plane in 1992? The Truth About The Plane Crash Paula Abdul Claims She Was In. She also stated that she underwent 15 spinal surgeries as a result of her injuries both from this and prior incidents. As her new Las Vegas residency took off, Paula Abdul opened up about a crash landing. During the opening night of her show at Flamingo Las Vegas on Thursday, the 57-year-old "Straight Up". 2 Rich Juzwiak at Jezebel dug up records that give us a possible date for the alleged crash. Admittedly, the story has changed so much that at least some versions will be lies even if one version was the truth. . Definitely a blog talking about this. He was a VFR pilot when he bought the airplane, I dont know if he ever got his IR. Speaking on why she refused to open up about it, Abdul explained she did not want to be associated with pity or counted out. "I went through all of that, mostly, privately. 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AmoMama creates engaging, meaningful content for women. But 2019 was not the first time she told this story. Paula's appearance on RuPaul wouldn't be the last time that the dancer spoke about the accident. It was not fun," she continued. None of them seem likely flyovers 30 to 40 minutes into such a trip. Did you ever see the very brief reality show about her life? Make of this what you will. In the same year, Paula released her second album, "Spellbound." It sold more than 7 million copies worldwide. . The injuries from the crash affected her more mentally than physically. Plus, she toured with New Kids on the Block and headlined her own Las Vegas residency until early 2020. I dont mean this disrespectfully, just objectively: Some of that shit messes with your mind. I've always wondered about her plane crash story too. This has been used by some theorists as proof that the whole story is fabricated, since it gives the appearance that there wouldnt have been a St. Louis to Denver flight at all. "I woke up in the. Where the plane landed is another odd matter. 4h ago. An in depth Jezebel investigation from 2019. As Jezebel notes, Paula Abdul has been claiming since at least 2003 that she survived an early 1990s plane crash, and that she took some time off afterward to recover from her injuries. Despite her claims of the crash, some internet users believe the singer fabricated the story. Gloria Estefan was in a horrible bus accident, maybe shes mixing that into her own life in a chemically altered, desperate way. Its not my time to go. Then we crash-landed in flames in a cornfield. One of the most controversial parts of Abdul's life is her claim that she survived a plane crash. Why did it take eleven years after the alleged accident for there to be a single documented mention of it? Not impossible, but certainly implausible at least from a laymans understanding of air travel. Was she covering for being out of the spotlight? Its stranger the more you read about it, and there dont seem to be concrete answers. This doesnt fit with her claim that the flight was from St. Louis to Denver. What Exactly Is Happening for the Rest of This Season of American Idol? If anyone is able to find it Id be happy to edit it in, but Im not including information I cant verify. Entertainment). "During the end of my world tour when I was traveling from one city to the next, in a small seven-seater plane, one of the engines blew up and the right wing caught on fire, and we crash-landed. I'm guessing she has a new album out or is promoting something. Is Paula Abdul actually sober like she claims, and is her strange behavior actually just her being Paula Abdul rather than drugs or alcohol? She was a mess the times I saw her, and while I do not recall her ever using a cane or anything (I interacted with her maybe half a dozen times? At any rate several of them must still be alive and some may have been injured just like she was. It's USA not Congo. Very little treatment available. The 41-year-old singer starred on the show's third season in 2004, and Paula explained that she didn't . Page 2 of same interview. is for general information purposes only. Back then, we didn't have tabloids like we do now," she said. Fans and tabloids during Abduls run as an American Idol judge often commented on her strange behavior, although she was quick to explain it away. If there's something that you know you can actually work on that can improve who you are as a performer or as a professional or as a human being, I resonate with that. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, https://jezebel.com/paula-abdul-keeps-talking-about-surviving-a-plane-crash-1835445212?rev=1560437388395&utm_medium=socialflow&utm_source=jezebel_twitter&utm_campaign=socialfow_jezebel_twitter, Gloria Estefan was in a horrible bus accident. "We didn't have the extent of paparazzi so you were able to contain some information. 2009 Ladies Home Journal interview, discusses going to rehab for painkiller addiction. But that trust-fall hasnt been the most shocking segment of Abduls Forever Your Girl Vegas residency, headlining performance at last years L.A. They became a huge success, grabbing the world's attention and placing her in demand for many stars. The singer discussed what happened during an appearance on RuPaul in 2019. She resumed her Under My Spell tour, which according to Wikipedia, wrapped in August of that year. A revisitation of one of my most Iconic Conspiracies, as I debate my dear friend Stokes regarding his belief that Paula Abdul's infamous fake plane crash actually did happen. So, I really don't care what people have to say. Pop singer and dancer Paula Abdul is "opening up" about her 1992 plane crash: The only date possible for this "crash" is around June 8-10, 1992, which resulted in various tour dates of hers being cancelled with no explanation. For the first time in my life, doubt outweighed my spirit, she said. They were pop artists at around the same time, and the accident was around the same time as shes claiming, within two years or so. As her new Las Vegas residency took off, Paula Abdul opened up about a crash landing. ", "From a [pain] scale of one to 10, my 'normal' was hovering at seven. Ep 7: The Great Debate: Paula Abdul's Plane Crash Revisited! Im unsure on whether or not she had an addiction to painkillers but I lean towards no. Paula Abdul has wowed onlookers with her recent . A spokesperson in the NTSBs media relations department told me that a scenario in which such a crash occurred but was not documented by the NTSB would seem unlikely, though it could be possible if it was never reported and if wreckage was never found. Abduls website lists no shows between the June 10 show in Greenwood Village and the June 23 show in Seattle. Today we will take a look at what might be the real situation. We collect and tell stories of people from all around the world. An in depth Jezebel investigation from 2019, 2020 Yahoo interview where Abdul discusses people doubting her and why she did not speak about the crash earlier, Paula Abduls website page for the tour, which mentions the plane crash but does not list the relevant tour dates. One is that this went entirely unreported at the timea search of Nexis archives yields no news stories from the 90s about Abdul, who was at one point a bonafide superstar, surviving a plane crash (or even being in a plane that required an emergency landing). Because Paula was in the height of her career at the time when the alleged plane crash occurred, many outlets, including Jezebel, KDWB, and DListed, have been skeptical about whether or not it actually happened, since it wasn't reported on or spoken about at the time. 5 min read. 2003 NBC interview, earliest mention of the accident. ), Abduls rep did not respond to my request for clarification on this matter. Update (June 14, 2019, 8:00 am): A reader named Katie Sowder dug up a Kansas City Star article that reviews a Paula Abdul/Color Me Badd concert that it says took place at the Sandstone Amphitheater (now Providence Medical Center Amphitheater) in Bonner Springs, Kansas, on June 20, 1992. In a 2005 cover story spread with People, Paula said she dealt with chronic pain from the accident for years, and that it was a big issue during her first season of American Idol. But thats not quite true, either. According to Jezebel, Paula has also said some contradictory statements about the date and timeline of the crash. So yea, shes probably telling a half truth. I mean, I had a spinal cord injury and nerve damage, she recalls. Paula Abdul went on record saying she had never said those things, Link to confirmation of Sandstone Amphitheater concert, 2003 NBC interview, earliest mention of the accident, 2005 People interview, discusses details including plane route. All Rights Reserved. And then Paula Abdul went on record saying she had never said those things. Her account of banging her head against the planes ceiling has been consistent. Jezebel also reported that public records also don't appear to corroborate a small plane crash occurring during the dates in question. I woke up in the hospital only to find that I had crushed my cervical spine, leaving me partially paralyzed.. I was really injured. Pop singer and dancer Paula Abdul is "opening up" about her 1992 plane crash: "It all happened when I boarded a seven-seater plane and an hour into the flight one of the engines blew up and the right wing caught fire and everything went black," she told the crowd (via PEOPLE). No injury was reported. What Does Paula Abdul Claim About Being In A Plane Crash?. I find it hard to believe she claims she was never out of it during her time on American Idol. Maybe like Gawker or Jezebel? The flight she claims to have taken is pretty much straight west, and crashing in Iowa would require a significant detour north. Her comment about not having tabloids in the 90s is laughable. That says something. The number varies from interview to interview.) A tour manager or roadie or someone? Over the years, Abdul has been more vocal about her past struggles, including addiction problems, but she claims her biggest nightmare happened in the early '90s, changing her life forever. The Jezebel article cites a St. Louis Post Dispatch article from June 21, 1992, talking about a Paula Abdul concert the previous Friday at the Riverport Ampitheater. I don't. She said: lists no record of a plane crash in Iowa at any time between Abdul's St. Louis and Denver-area shows in 1992. BestsellerThe Barista Express grinds, foams milk, and produces the silkiest espresso at the perfect temperature. She was divorced twice between 1994 and 1998. oh i found it https://jezebel.com/paula-abdul-keeps-talking-about-surviving-a-plane-crash-1835445212?rev=1560437388395&utm_medium=socialflow&utm_source=jezebel_twitter&utm_campaign=socialfow_jezebel_twitter. Dave Ryan in the Morning provided the audio from that interview for Jezebel to post: (Credit where its due: It was KDWBs in-house conspiracy-theorizing after the interview that inspired me to write this post. There is an NTSB report for an eight seater (not seven) plane crashing into a field in Nebraska (not Iowa), a full month before the Under My Spell tour began. In the last year or so, as shes become more outspoken both in interviews and onstage about her injuries and recovery, some gossip sites, like Jezebel and DListed, have claimed that Abdul entirely fabricated her mysterious plane-crash story. Paula Abdul has wowed onlookers with her recent death- and gravity-defying live performances, during which she has swan-dived from Cold-Hearted-style scaffolding into the waiting arms of her reliable backup dancers. Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories! Walt Disney Luckily, a team of imaginary rescue workers was on hand to save the day. "You can't take things personally, and the things that resonate with you that can help you become better, the best version of yourself, you hold onto and you work through that. But at my very core, I did not like existing the way I had been.. You can't take things personally, and the things that resonate with you that can help you become better, the best version of yourself, you hold onto and you work through that. I met her several times - this would be 10 years AFTER the alleged plane crash, etc. Following her successful stint with "The Jacksons," Abdul released her dance workout CDs. Paula Abdul has wowed onlookers with her recent death- and gravity-defying live performances, during which she has swan-dived from "Cold-Hearted"-style scaffolding into the waiting arms of her. The 59-year-old has also worked as a songwriter, actor, and television personality, appearing on popular shows like "So, You Think You Can Dance?" For years, Abdul has claimed that she was compelled to take a few years off in order to recover from trauma and injuries she supposedly suffered in a plane crash. 2005 People interview, discusses details including plane route. Everyone was saying prayers. So, I really don't care what people have to say. Abdul, who was in her early 30's at the time, revealed she boarded a seven-seater plane after a show and was going from St. Louis to Denver. One of these theories revolves around the idea that Paula invented the plane crash in 2003, after regaining the limelight as an American Idol judge, to give herself an excuse for falling out of the public eye and to distract from the downturn in her career and personal life during this period. https://www.iheart.com/content/201992-plane-crash-during-vegas-residency-opener/, "Paula Abdul Keeps Talking About Surviving a Plane Crash for Which No Record Exists", https://jezebel.com/paula-abdul-keeps-talking-about-surviving-a-plane-crash-1835445212, https://www.ntsb.gov/about/employmeev_id=20001212X21252&ntsbno=LAX00FA213&akey=1, https://app.ntsb.gov/pdfgenerator/RtID=20001212X21252&AKey=1&RType=HTML&IType=FA, https://www.yahoo.com/entertainmentwant-to-talk-too-much-about-it-182841961.html, (You must log in or sign up to reply here. It's like, you learn and grow through wisdom and experience of being in this business, especially with the internet," she told the outlet.