Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey may be getting on each other's last nerve while judging American Idol's twelfth-season auditioners, but their confrontations haven't reached the point of death threats, according to Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe.
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"The statement [that Nicki made a death threat] is absolute rubbish. It's absolutely not true in any way, shape or form," Lythgoe said in a statement released to TMZ.
While sources told the website Minaj barked, "If I had a gun I would shoot her" during a moment that was not caught on-camera, Lythgoe insists the claim is false information generated by members of Carey's entourage who are just trying to stir up more drama.
Lythgoe reportedly added that Carey approached Minaj and asked whether she had really made the alleged death threat, and Minaj replied she definitely did not.
However, TMZ obtained a video of Minaj and Carey's heated argument and is claiming Minaj yelled at her fellow new female judge, "Off with your head! Off with your head!" The remark would seemingly coincide with the rapper's alleged gun-shooting death threat.
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The video, which lacks comprehensible audio, showed Minaj losing her cool during American Idol auditions in Charlotte, NC on Tuesday when she lashed out screaming and swearing at the show's producers and Carey after the two divas disagreed over how to critique a contestant's performance.
Sources close to Minaj are reportedly claiming Carey called the rapper a "bitch" multiple times, which ultimately caused Minaj's outburst. In addition, TMZ reported Minaj has been frustrated that Carey tends to praise herself more than she actually talks about the Idol auditioners.
"She keeps bringing up how many records she's sold, name dropping people she's worked with, how many tours she's done, and how many Grammys or awards she's won... Nicki is tired of it," one source told the website.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski