Singer-turned-American Idol judge Paula Abdul called off all her interviews Friday after clips of an earlier TV appearance appeared to show her drunk.
The video – in which Abdul slurs and bizarrely gestures – emerged on YouTube on Thursday, prompting speculation alcohol or medication were to blame.
She subsequently abandoned media engagements scheduled for Friday.
However, Abdul’s spokesman Jeff Ballard insists tiredness and a minor throat infection, not inebriation, were the causes of the cancellations and earlier odd behavior.
He says, “She was exhausted. This was at the end of three days of press (interviews and appearances), and she has had cameras following her around for a reality TV show too.
“She was sitting in a room with just a camera and a mic on, and the controllers dropped the sound twice, which is why she rolled her eyes.
“She never drinks. I have known Paula Abdul since she was 13, and I have never seen her drink ever in my life. And no, she is not on any kind of medication. She was a little tired.”
In 2005 Abdul revealed she suffers from a neurological disorder that causes chronic pain and requires a weekly injection of an anti-inflammatory drug. [Source]
Watch drunk Paula Abdul after the jump
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