Mariah Carey ‘hated’ American Idol stint

CEBU, Philippines - Mariah Carey could not be happier to put “American Idol” behind her. The “Art of Letting Go” singer — who served one season as a judge on the Fox musical competition, alongside Nicki Minaj, Randy Jackson and Keith Urban — had some choice words about the show during an interview with Hot 97.

“Honestly, I hated it,” she confessed. “I was the first person who signed on. I thought it was going to be a three-person panel. They gave me a nice monetary moment, and I was like, ‘Okay, Randy Jackson will be there; I’ve known him forever. He used to play bass for me. Like, this isn’t a big deal. This will be nothing.’”

“But it wasn’t that,” she continued. “It was like going to work every day in hell with Satan.”

Carey didn’t specify which of her fellow judges might be the devil, but it’s no secret that she clashed with Minaj throughout the season. The two got into several very heated debates during the audition process and occasionally took their feud online. In May, the “Roman Holiday” rapper bashed the Grammy-winning singer as “insecure” and “bitter” on Twitter.

There was one bright spot in Carey’s Idol experience, though. “I loved the contestants,” she said. “And some of them that were so good — and also really good people, you could tell — it was disappointing when [the judges] would, for political reasons, not put people through.”

The mom of  two added that she has no plans to ever judge a televised talent competition again. “I like being in the studio better and going on my own tours, so we’re going back to that,” she vowed. (FREEMAN)