Mariah Carey will earn $18 million as an American Idol judge, in case you happen to be keeping count that is $3 million more than Britney Spears is earning on X Factor and $6 million more than Jennifer Lopez earned for her first year as an American Idol judge alongside Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson.

Carey’s husband Nick Cannon said last week that American Idol couldn’t afford Mariah Carey, at the time he said:

“I don’t know if they can afford Mariah Carey. That’s a lot of money. If they gave JLo $20 million, they might have to double that!”

After the official announcement was made Carey tweeted:

“It’s gonna be so much fun working on American Idol. As a singer-songwriter, I’m excited to help find and nurture new talent. LYM! – MC”

American Idol witnessed a decline in rating during the two seasons in which Lopez and Tyler had replaced Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell. Last season NBC’s Sunday Night Football beat Idol as the top rated TV show, a feat that hadn’t been accomplished during the shows first 10 seasons.

With American Idol now facing tough competition from both X Factor and The Voice the high payday to bring in one of the biggest selling singers in the world could pay off ten fold.

Following the announcement host Ryan Seacrest was quick to tweet:

Welcome to the fam @MariahCarey!! When u and @nickcannon need a date night, I’m happy to strap on the double baby bjorn

— Ryan Seacrest (@RyanSeacrest) July 23, 2012

I really hope Ryan Seacrest straps on the double Baby Bjorn now that Mariah Carey has joined the American Idol team.

Mariah Carey Earning $18 Million As American Idol Judge is a post from: The Inquisitr