Minaj-Carey 'American Idol' Spat: Nick Cannon, Ryan Seacrest, Minaj's Stylist Weigh In
After a short preview of Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey's recent "American Idol" spat went public, Nick Cannon, Ryan Seacrest and Minaj's hair stylist weighed in on the matter as people closest to the situation.
Although some rumored strife between the two new "American Idol" judges has been making headlines for weeks, TMZ released an official video where fans could see the two women engaged in a verbal altercation. In the video, Minaj could be seen yelling at Carey.
However, Minaj's hair stylist Terrence Davidson statements about the matter on his Facebook page to defend his client.
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"Let me tell y'all something. Stop hitting me about what happened! At the end of the day it is what it is and if you (weren't) there save your speech," he wrote. "You only saw one minute of this compared to what I see and hear on set. So be careful how you jump like a frog on the wrong lily pad!"
Cannon, Carey's husband, also weighed in on the matter in an interview with ″Access Hollywood" on Wednesday. According to Carey's husband, a talent show host in his own right, the altercation threatened to take away from the quality of "American Idol."
"My wife is the strongest and classiest woman that I've ever met, if you watch the video, she just maintains her composure…I don't think she's moved by the theatrics and pageantry of it all. She signed up to do a job to help young people accomplish their dreams and this is like a sidebar," Cannon said. "I hope that's not what this show becomes, about the cat fights. The show is solely about a singing competition, that's why America loves these shows, they want to see people reach a certain goal or win …and then to make it about something it's not, it kind of shows that the producers and the network are losing their foot a little bit."
Still, Cannon said he felt his wife handled the situation in the right way.
"Anyone can see what the issue actually is and it's one of those things, like I said, my wife is strong, classy and maintains her strengths," he said. "It's not about the theatrics! Let's get back to what the core of the show is about."
In a transcript of the spat obtained by TMZ, Minaj reportedly chastised Carey for what she deemed "disrespectful" behavior.
"You think I'm playing...Think it's a joke?? Say one more disrespectful thing to me – say one more disrespectful thing to me," Minaj told Carey in an enraged tone. "Don't tell me I'm inadequate. Maybe you're inadequate, you're insecure running down your resume every five minutes. Every time you take a shot at me, Imma (sic) take it back and if you've got a (expletive) problem, handle it."
Carey could be seen on the video exclaiming "why" and reportedly also had her own words for the rapper.
"Oh why, why, why do I have a three-year-old sitting around me," Carey questioned. "I couldn't see my kids because you decided to have a little baby fit and go all around the stage."
However, "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest said while things did go too far, he wanted both women to remain on the show's judges panel.
"[There's] nothing wrong with disagreeing . . . That's gonna happen, and it's okay. It was intense! I'll be honest with you ... It went far last night. It did get intense," Seacrest said on his radio show Wednesday morning. "We want that! We want them to be on this panel together. This is a good team, a great team, to go out and look for the next 'American Idol'...the feedback that they give is very good."
