Source Says Nicki Minaj is Not Returning to ‘American Idol’ Next Season

By: Taren Vaughan

Is Nicki Minaj leaving American Idol? Nicki Minaj’s gig with American Idol has not gone as smoothly as she would have probably imagined it to go as things kicked off with rumors of the outspoken Nicki not seeing eye to eye with other newbie to the panel Mariah Carey, Mariah and Nicki claiming that the beef rumors were ridiculous early on. But viewers quickly saw the love start to be lost between the two after they got into a heated exchange on set. And from that day forward, it was on and popping. The shade throwing and shot firing has since escalated between Nicki and Mariah, though Nicki admitted to being hurt over how things have played out between her and Mariah on the show. And as most TV viewers crave the drama that reality TV shows tend to bring, American Idol viewers haven’t been the least bit entertained by Nicki and Mariah’s beef as the ratings for the show have continued to suffer. And because of the struggle that the show has had this season with ratings, the talk is that ‘Idol’ producers were looking to make some cuts to the judging panel. Randy Jackson has already bid farewell to the show as he recently announced that he was not returning for next season. And now the talk is that Nicki Minaj is the next judge to be making an exit, an insider reveals to Us Weekly:

“It’s safe to say she isn’t coming back to Idol. She’s okay with it. She had a great time but was only going to do one season anyway.”

The source adds that the reason Nicki Minaj plans to move on from her short stint with American Idol is so that she can focus more on her new music, tours and endorsement deals.