We all already knew Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey wouldn’t be returning to judge American Idol for a second season, but both artists have confirmed their departures via Twitter.
Mariah confirmed her exit by retweeting what her publicity company tweeted.
“W/ global success of “#Beautiful” (#1 in 30+ countries so far) @MariahCarey confirms world tour & says goodbye 2 Idol,” the retweet said.
Fox and show producers had this to say of Mariah’s departure:
“Mariah Carey is a true global icon – one of the most accomplished artists on the planet – and we feel extremely fortunate that she was able to bring her wisdom and experience to the American Idol contestants this season. We know she will remain an inspiration to Idol hopefuls for many seasons to come.”
Nicki took a more direct approach but announced the news not long after Mariah’s, which had fans speculating Nicki did not want to be one-upped by Mariah’s news.
“Thank you American Idol for a life changing experience! Wouldn’t trade it for the world! Time to focus on the Music!!! Mmmuuuaahhh!!!” Nicki Tweeted.
Fox and show producers also responded to Nicki’s news:
“Nicki Minaj is a superstar who brought a level of honesty and passion to American Idol and who had a tremendous positive impact on so many contestants this season. Given her extremely busy career, we understand and respect her decision and wish her the best.”
So that’s three down, including Randy Jackson. The news on Keith Urban should be coming soon. As we reported earlier this week, Keith says he has no idea what’s going on next season.
Will you miss Mariah and Nicki next season on American Idol 2014?