Another seat at the American Idol judges’ table will soon be up for grabs. On the heels of Randy Jackson’s announcement that he’s leaving the show after 12 seasons — and amid rumors that producers are firing the remaining three panelists — US Weekly hears that Nicki Minaj will not return to the competition come fall.
“It’s safe to say she isn’t coming back to Idol,” an insider said, adding that the “Roman Holiday” rapper will be focusing on her next album, touring, and endorsements. “She’s okay with it. She had a great time but was only going to do one season anyway.”
Minaj, 30, joined the Fox series in 2012, alongside fellow new judges Keith Urban and Mariah Carey, with whom she has an ongoing feud. The two divas frequently clashed both on and off the air, sometimes taking their rivalry to Twitter. After one particularly heated disagreement on the May 1 episode of Idol, Minaj slammed the “Touch My Body” singer as “insecure” and “bitter.”
Carey, for her part, has yet to comment on her future with Idol. But as Us Weekly reported on May 13, she’s currently planning a new world tour, tied to the success of her buzzed-about single with Miguel, “#Beautiful.” (To date, the tune has hit No.1 in 25 countries.)
Country singer Urban is also mum on whether he’s returning for season 13. But Jackson, the only judge who has been with Idol since its start in 2002, is officially moving on.
“Yo! Yo! Yo! To put all of the speculation to the rest, after 12 years of judging on American Idol I have decided it is time to leave after this season,” he said in a statement on May 9. “I am very proud of how we forever changed television and the music industry. It’s been a life-changing opportunity, but I am looking forward to focusing on my company Dream Merchant 21 and other business ventures.”
Source: USWeekly
