Nicki Minaj Wasn’t Dramatic Backstage, Idol Runner-Up Says
Nicki Minaj gained a reputation as bit of a diva vying for attention with Mariah Carey over the course of the past season of American Idol.
Backstage it wasn’t really like that at all, said Idol runner-up Kree Harrison. Though contestants on American Idol didn’t get too many opportunities to see and interact with the judges during the hectic taping of the show, Harrison said she never caught wind of any drama backstage.
“First of all, there’s so much going on, the drama of whatever happens on or off camera, there’s literally, it’s chaos during the live show,” Harrison told MTV News on Monday. “So you don’t pay any attention to anything but where you’re supposed to be. I mean, I love Nicki; I love Mariah. We would get a kick out of [the fact that] they would talk to each other at all. So whether it was good or bad, we liked it. I’m a big fan of all of them.”
Harrison added that Nicki Minaj and the other judges were nothing but helpful for the Idol contestants.
“They’re not any different than they are on camera, off camera. I would honestly say that the good part about it was that they were all so different. So they brought such a cool thing to us and I like each one of them. There was never any drama, we feel, like that we saw. We lived in a bubble for a while.”
Nicki Minaj came off a bit different for viewers at home. They saw the judge who showed up late to a live taping and seemed locked in a season-long power struggle with Mariah Carey..
On an American Idol broadcast, Mariah was giving a critique to contestant Angie Miller when Minaj cut her off to disagree. This caused Carey to point a finger in Nicki’s direction and criticize the rapper for never having a No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100.
In response, Minaj tweeted:
All dem #1s but JLo phone ringin? Lol. I guess having a personality, being a secure woman, and giving genuine critique still trumps that.
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) May 2, 2013
This prompted a backlash on Twitter, but Nicki Minaj responded by attacking Mariah Carey even more.
What u SHOULD be doing (wit your messy ass) is asking why a woman SO successful at her age, is still so INSECURE, and bitter @perezhilton
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) May 2, 2013
The drama will be over next season. Nicki Minaj and the other judges reportedly won’t be back to American Idol.
