By 2000, Abdul had sold in excess of 30 million records, released two No. 1 albums and six No. 1 singles, and won a Grammy Award. That year, Abdul decided to take a break from the music industry.

In 2002, Abdul stepped back into the spotlight as one of the three judges on the instantly popular television reality competition, American Idol, alongside producers Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell. Abdul became the show's voice of optimism, often countering the dour and overly pessimistic Cowell. In addition to her role on Idol, Abdul also ran dance and cheerleading camps across the country.

In 2005, Abdul faced controversy when she was involved in a hit-and-run accident. According to reports, the star clipped another car but never stopped to assess the damage. She received a fine, and was sentenced to a two-year probation. That same year, reports surfaced that Abdul had engaged in a romantic relationship with a American Idol contestant Corey Clark while he was on the show. Abdul denied those allegations, along with accusations that the pop star was abusing drugs and alcohol.

In 2007, Abdul premiered in her own reality show, Hey Paula, which aired on the Bravo network. The documentary series followed Abdul through her daily life, and aired for one season before it was cancelled. Also that year, Abdul launched her highly successful Paula Abdul Jewelry line, which she sold through the QVC shopping network.

In 2008, Paula made her comeback on the music charts with the single "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow", which hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. The next year, she launched the MTV reality show RAH! which was a college cheerleading competition hosted by Abdul. In May 2009, Paula debuted her new song "I'm Just Here for the Music", which she performed on American Idol . results show. That same month, she admitted in an interview with Ladies Home Journal that she had a long-running addiction to painkillers that ended in rehab. A week later, she rescinded her comments, saying she had neither been in rehab nor had addiction issues.

Abdul made headlines again in 2009 when she announced on her Twitter site that she would not be returning to Idol for a ninth season. She gave no reason for her departure from the show.

Abdul was married to actor Emilio Estevez from 1992-1994, and to Brad Beckerman from 1996-1999. She currently resides in Los Angeles, California.