Jennifer Lopez Sued For Stealing ‘World Of Dance’ Idea For $6.5 Million

Jennifer Lopez is being sued for allegedly stealing the concept behind “World Of Dance” from a man named Alvin Gray-El.

According to TMZ, Gray-El claimed that “World Of Dance” is a rip-off from an idea that he previously pitched to renowned choreographer Debbie Allen. In the court documents obtained by the publication, Gray-El claimed that he faxed his ideas to Allen in 2009.

Had his concept been approved, Gray-El said that his show’s title would have been “Let’s Start The Dance.” Unfortunately, he never received a call from Allen, who he is also suing.

In 2010, Gray-El registered his show idea with the U.S. Copyright Office. Seven years later, he was told that there was a similar show being produced by Lopez and NBC, which is “World Of Dance.”

Gray-El penned a letter to NBC informing the company that the show that Lopez is producing was based on his pitch from years ago, but he also didn’t get a response. Even though Allen and Lopez are not working together on “World Of Dance,” Gray-El said that he is suing both of them for $6.5 million in damages.

“World Of Dance” is currently on its third season. The dance reality competition premiered on NBC in 2017, and it introduced some new and known faces in the dance world. Initially, there were only three categories competing in the show, but this was changed to accommodate the junior dancers in the second season.

In the show’s third season, “World Of Dance” introduced a new segment known as the Redemption round, where the two highest-scoring acts that got eliminated in the duel round would have the chance to compete against each other. Whoever wins will join the remaining acts in the cut.

“World Of Dance” features Lopez not only as its producer but also as one of the show’s judges. She is joined by Ne-Yo and Derek Hough. This year, host Jenna Dewan was replaced by Scott Evans.

The ratings for “World Of Dance” Season 3 have been impressive. Last Sunday’s episode raked in 3.2 million total viewers and a 0.7 demo rating, according to TV Line. This suggests that the reality show may be renewed for a fourth season.