‘American Idol’ Ratings Continue to Decline Despite Nicki & Mariah’s Beef

By: Amanda Anderson-Niles

Nicki Minaj and Mariah’s Carey beef was rumored to be nothing more than a publicity stunt. According to sources close to the production staff, the beef was manufactured to encourage more viewers to tune into the singing competition. Although producers of the show deny that the beef was nothing more than a stunt, it appears that the drama wasn’t enough to save the show’s ratings. In fact, it was reported recently that ratings have gotten lower than they were last season. Many speculate the dip could have something to do with Nicki and Mariah’s drama turning off viewers. Well now it appears that the theory might have been confirmed considering that the other night American Idol pulled in the lowest numbers it’s ever pulled since season one.

Here’s the report according to Deadline:

Fox’s American Idol continues its slide, logging a third consecutive week of in-season Wednesday lows. Last night’s two-hour show posted a 3.8/11 among adults 18-49, down 7% from last Wednesday, and 13.1 million viewers, down 8%. Last night’s 3.8 demo rating (which will likely be adjusted up to a 3.9 in the finals), last Wednesday’s 4.1 and the Wednesday before’s 4.3 now rank as the three lowest in-season Wednesday results for Idol. Overall, it was Idol‘s worst Wednesday performance since the show’s very first cycle, which aired in summer 2002 — the smallest audience since August 14, 2002 and lowest adults 18-49 rating since July 3, 2002.

In related news, Nicki Minaj is said to not even be sure if she’d be interested in returning for another season, and recent told E! Online that she’d have to see how she feels when the season ends before making that decision.