Paula is a practicing Jew and is proud of her heritage. She has said, "Not many people know, but both my parents are Jewish, I am very excited about telling you this." Her dad is from Syria, an Arab-ruled country, and Abdul has stated that it was her dream to visit neighboring Israel and said, "My father is a Syrian Jew whose family emigrated to Brazil. My mother is Canadian with Jewish roots. My dream is to come to Israel for a real holiday." Israeli Tourist Minister Isaac Herzog invited her to Israel during a Hanukkah festival, to which Abdul responded with a hug, adding, "I will come; you have helped me make my dream come true."

Substance abuse allegations arose as the result of what some described as "erratic behavior" by Abdul during episodes of American Idol. After reading these allegations on message boards, Abdul told People magazine in April 2005 that she suffered from chronic pain for years following a "cheerleading accident" at age 17 and was diagnosed with reflex