Former American Idol judge has her say on the fighting
Jennifer Lopez has waded in on the American Idol feud that’s seen Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey hurling insults at each other, saying that in her experience the fighting is “real.”
JLo gave up her seat on the judging panel of the hit show this year, with Mariah, Nicki and Keith Urban joining the only original judge Randy Jackson on the new series. Despite leaving, Jen is obviously still a fan of the show as she’s been having her say on the now infamous cat fight.
Feisty Nicki was filmed hurling obscenities at Mariah after they disagreed on a contestant during the audition stages, leading to Minaj being accused of using death threats against her fellow judge. There have been claims the argument was staged for ratings but Jennifer reckons it’s all for real:
“I heard a little bit,” she told BBC Newsbeat. “As far as my experience goes, whatever’s happening is usually really real.”
Jennifer gave up her spot on the US show to concentrate on her music career and to spend more time with her four-year-old twins Max and Emme. The star goes on to insist in the interview that she has no regrets about her decision although it was hard for her to let go after two years on the panel. “I do miss it,” she admitted. “I loved doing the show and I loved all the people there.”
Meanwhile Idol boss Nigel Lythgoe has also had his say on the Minaj/Mariah feud, slamming the claims that the war of words was for ratings. Talking to TMZ, the TV mogul said:
“I have no idea why I would be doing it [for ratings] five months before the show went out. I would only do ANYTHING for ratings a month before the show went out. They’ve got my timing wrong.”
Lythgoe also insisted that everything was fine between Nicki and Maria after their argument. He added: “They (Nicki and Mariah) were amicable that afternoon. I think before anyone makes any judgements, they should watch the show.”