Mariah Carey upset Nicki Minaj may join ‘American Idol’: report

By Kathleen Perricone | Jam: Spotlight on Music Stars 

Carey. (Stephane Drapot/WireImage)Minaj. (Peter Kramer/NBC/NBC NewsWire)There's only enough space at the "American Idol" judges' table for one diva. Less than a month after Mariah Carey officially signed on to be a judge for the singing competition, she's reportedly fuming at the news that Nicki Minaj may be taking a seat beside her when the show returns for its 12^th season next year. The "We Belong Together" singer is so upset, she hung up the phone when she was told that the rapper was thisclose from signing on, reports TMZ.

Carey, 42, was apparently led to believe by "Idol" execs that she would be the only female on the panel. And not only is Minaj also a woman, she's one that is 13 years younger, which only adds insult to injury. TMZ also reports that "Idol" may hire two male judges to balance out the estrogen between Carey and Minaj. On Tuesday, Kanye West's name was added to the short list of possible candidates, which includes Nick Jonas, Pharrell Williams, Brad Paisley, and Enrique Iglesias.
It's unclear where the animosity between Carey and Minaj comes from. In 2010, Carey had the then-relatively unknown rapper appear on her song "Up Out My Face," and the two co-starred in its video as fellow Barbie-esque dolls who break out of their boxes … and then go to a salon. Minaj said she was so shocked Carey wanted to work with her that she didn't tell many people about the collaboration — even after they shot the video — because she was afraid it would get shelved since she was so unknown.
"She's an icon, I've loved her since I was little, like 'Vision of Love,' 'Someday,'" Minaj told MTV News at the time. "I was one of those little girls in the mirror singing her songs with my mother … When I met her, she was so funny and silly. I thought when I was gonna work with Mariah, [she] was gonna be like this diva. But we were cracking jokes the whole day. She's a sweet, down-to-earth person."

Apparently, a lot has changed over the past two years.