I couldn't find this as I was writing, but u/bookdrops dug up this Springfield News-Leader article from June 19, 1992 that references the same June 20 date at the Sandstone Ampitheater. 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. Then, in 2019, she described waking up in the hospital, partially paralyzed. Abdul was taking heavy-duty pain killers, though she claims she never shot an Idol episode under the influence. While. But I was willing to try, because the quality of my life was starting to really suck, and it hurt. I dont have proof of anything, but a personal anecdote. I was really injured. 21. A mysterious 1992 plane crash leaves more questions than answers. Between her Spellbound era and about 1996, Abdul seemed to stay out of the spotlight. What Does Paula Abdul Claim About Being In A Plane Crash?. Despite her claims of the crash, some internet users believe the singer fabricated the story. There is some confusion as to which part of her tour the crash occurred on. Abdul is one of the many celebrities lucky to escape a plane crash and tell the story. "I could have killed myself. Withdrawal -- it's the worst thing," she says. In the same interview, Paula also further elaborated on her injuries from the crash. 2020 Yahoo interview where Abdul discusses people doubting her and why she did not speak about the crash earlier. So, I really don't care what people have to say. I limited my interaction with her as much as possible because it wasnt my job and it was a little intimidating, honestly (obviously she was an important client and I didnt want any complaints). It also seems to have taken off in Nebraska with an intended destination elsewhere in Nebraska, rather than going to either St. Louis or Denver, and it crashed shortly after takeoff rather than the claimed forty minutes to an hour into the flight. Pride festival, or other recent comeback concerts. There is enough room for the basic story to be true. Another remarkable thing is that none of the plane crashes in the National Transportation Safety Boards database remotely fits Abduls description, given the possible dates when such a crash allegedly took place. No other passengers have spoken about a crash. Perhaps this supposed plane crash will remain mysterious, but like Abdul told the Hudson Union Society: It doesnt matter what you go through, its how you come out.. ', Adele Personally Apologizes to Fans Over FaceTime for Rescheduling Las Vegas Residency, Carrie Underwood and Her Stylist Share All the Details Behind Her Las Vegas Residency Wardrobe, Victims of Deadly Multi-Vehicle Las Vegas Crash Included Family of 7: 'There Are No Words', Adele Says Her Las Vegas Residency 'Has to Happen This Year' as She Wants 'More Children', Blake Shelton Joins Gwen Stefani to Perform 'Happy Anywhere' Duet as Her Las Vegas Residency Wraps. I love you from the bottom my heart. So, I really don't care what people have to say. If this story is true there will be evidence for it. "We didn't have the extent of paparazzi so you were able to contain some information. On Tuesdays episode of RuPauls new talk show, RuPaul (which kicked off a three-week trial run Monday on selected Fox affiliates), consummate survivor and savior of this years Billboard Music Awards show, Paula Abdul, took to Rus pink couch to promote her upcoming Las Vegas residency. On the Paula Abdul post a couple weeks ago, I commented that I had a write-up that was almost ready to go. Im very curious what everyone else thinks about this case. The 2005 account mostly matched her earliest mention of the accident in 2003. None of them seem likely flyovers 30 to 40 minutes into such a trip. Since at least 2003, Abdul has been vocal about suffering a slew of traumatic injuries during a 1992 plane crash. 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. She probably did have an opioid dependency but it was prescribed so shes not like one of them. I dont see any way in hell that someone with chronic pain in the 2000s was not prescribed opioids, its literally whats they give people for shit as simple as a wisdom tooth being taken out. It was in 1994 when I spoke with him, and I believe at that time he was VFR. Anyone able to verify that better? 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. What they did is they rewired my neurotransmitters to block pain. Abdul says shes been happily pain-medication-free for almost nine years now, as a result of biofeedback treatment. And then I re-appeared on American Idol.". Replies analysing and speculating over the mystery and possible explanations are encouraged. 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. 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. My personal theory (which is based as much on gut feelings as it is on actual information, since the info is so spotty) is that she was on a plane during the Under My Spell tour, wasnt wearing a seatbelt, and was injured when the plane experienced turbulence mid-flight. It was on my birthday, too. (As previously mentioned, the Under My Spell tour wrapped in 1992, and Abduls birthday is June 19.) Paula Abdul reflects surviving a crash landing after an alleged plane crash in 1992. Back in the day when the NTSB had a searchable database, you could have gone on their website and pulled all the reports for that timeframe to narrow down whether any of them fits the nebulous description. This is the closest thing to a contradictory date I have seen but it also is not a quote from Paula Abdul herself. The injuries from the crash affected her more mentally than physically. She began choreographing sequences for several movie productions, like "Reefer Madness" and "American Beauty.". So although there are pre-1996 records available on this site, there is no guarantee that these records are complete. But Abdul shrugs off such accusations. They looked through all recorded plane incidences and couldn't find anything. I want America to know that I have never been addicted to anything, no chemical dependency, nothing for recreational purposes.". I agree. But I live a fully normal life. The same Jezebel article also cites an Entertainment Weekly article from September 25, 1992, which refers to Abdul performing a show at the Fiddlers Green Amphitheatre in a suburb of Denver on June 22. Offers may be subject to change without notice. This goes far more in depth than that post and was heavily requested so hopefully it does not get removed this time. Did you ever see the very brief reality show about her life? That wasn't happening., Despite losing all feeling on her right side and developing reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome (RSD), a disorder that fires so intensely that sometimes your skin can break out in lesions like shingles, Abdul says she was doing anything and everything I could to stay in the game. Paula Abdul made a name as one of the most popular dancers and singers in the 1980s. Then I disappeared for close to seven years.. Famous actor Jason Momoa might be the fearless Khal Drogo in "Game of Thrones," but he is not immune to scary plane experiences. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. She was outweighed by doubt for the first time in her life as she battled excruciating pain. Such daredevil feats are especially stunning considering the 57-year-old pop stars extensive past injuries. . Her career and personal life seemed to have gone downhill after her Under Your Spell tour, and its debated whether this was because of her plane crash, or whether the plane crash was invented to sweep this under the rug. According to Paula, around the time her Under My Spell tour concluded in 1992, she was involved in a plane crash. In a 2019 interview with RuPaul, she claimed that one of the "engines blew up" an hour into the flight. In 1992 Paula Abdul supposedly survived a devastating plane crash in an emergency crash landing into a cornfield in Iowa. Wouldn't she still be injured? The other, more popular theory, is that she used the plane crash as an excuse to either explain away her loopy behavior during her American Idol years as non-drug related (if you believe 2005 USA Today I have never been addicted to anything Paula Abdul) or to excuse it as being caused by medication prescribed to her for her injuries. Ditto that on a search of Google Books. But Abdul shakes off such accusations. Sure, rx is cleaned and safer than street dope but the body doesnt care. Abdul claimed the injuries caused her to be inactive in the industry for over seven years as she endured 15 cervical spine surgeries with top doctors around the world, hoping to get back to one piece. She got into a plane accident not a plane crash. There are several remarkable things about this oft-repeated account that generally go unremarked. Abdul later choreographed music videos for Janet Jackson and enjoyed more success. The story honestly reeks of a drug problem/mental health issues. RSD and any severe chronic pain can sometimes also cause people to seem spacey or loopy, which could also explain why so many people thought she was acting strange during the time she was on American Idol. It's USA not Congo. After becoming a top pop singer in the '80s, Paula took a break from Hollywood for several years in the '90s before she reemerged to be a judge on American Idol in 2002. Its just very strange that there is no proof of this event ever happening. The strange part is that as I dug deeper in my internet research, I found that there is actually no record or report of any plane crash that she was ever involved in. So she says there was the plane crash requiring 15 spinal surgeries, a car accident the same year, a "cheerleading accident" at age 17, was a victim of battery in 2006 suffering concussion and spinal injuries and suffers from CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome). Not impossible, but certainly implausible at least from a laymans understanding of air travel. "Data-reactid =" 20 "> Last year, when she talked more openly about her injuries and recovery, both in interviews and on stage, there were some gossip sites like Jezebel and DListed, have claimed that Abdul completely invented their mysterious plane crash story. It would definitely explain the pain pill addiction other posters have mentioned. Or I chewed the side of my mouth. Theory 1: Paula Abdul was actually in some sort of incident on a plane in 1992, but has embellished what happened and this is why no one has been able to track down records of the event. But thats not quite true, either. We believe that every person's story is important as it provides our community with an opportunity to feel a sense of belonging, share their hopes and dreams. "I was freezing cold, then sweating hot, then chattering and in so much pain, it was excruciating. 2005 People interview, discusses details including plane route. Wow. She said: During the end of my world tour, the Spellbound 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. Anyway, I have no idea if the plane crash thing has any truth but I would venture to say SOMETHING physical had certainly happened to her, Being a dog walker for famous people seems like it would be a really cool job lol. 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. As for how all of this managed to escape the notice of the press and the feds, Abdul has claimed that she was able to use her celebrity status to keep the story under wraps. From a [pain] scale of one to 10, my normal was hovering at seven. 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. The 41-year-old singer starred on the show's third season in 2004, and Paula explained that she didn't . The most common theory in this camp is that the plane experienced some turbulence, she wasnt wearing her seatbelt, and she experienced an injury. In the early '90s, Paula Abdul was in a plane crash that required cervical surgeries. I believe her. Abdul released more successful albums and videos in the following years, expanding her fanbase outside the United States. Especially when there is so much circumstantial evidence, such as her strange behavior that the tabloids latched onto. I've heard about this before too. I took care of that. Woah CRPS? While Abdul when asked about her time away from the limelight did discuss the emergency crash landing in a few early/mid-2000s interviews, until recently she didn't want to talk too much about it, because it took me a long time to build the career that I had, and I didn't want to be counted out or fearful of people not understanding and thinking that, Well, maybe she's really not doing well, she explains to Yahoo Entertainment. I don't, Abdul asserts. However, the supposed landing site would have been out of the way north for the purported flight path between those two cities. Paula Abdul knew Jennifer Hudson "didn't need to win" 'American Idol' to realize her dreams. "It was time to set the record straight. Imagine Abdul and her crew just ditching that burned-up plane. In fact, according to her, she has never even been drunk. I did not want said Abdul. Why did it take eleven years after the alleged accident for there to be a single documented mention of it? While there is a rehab center in Carlsbad called La Costa, the article refers to La Costa Resort and Spa, which is an actual resort and spa. The story changes in bits every time, and there is no documented mention of it at all before Abduls 2003 NBC interview. She also stated that she underwent 15 spinal surgeries as a result of her injuries both from this and prior incidents. Abdul spoke about the crash with PEOPLE in 2005, saying the plane, flying from St. Louis to Denver, landed in a cornfield.