Former ‘American Idol’ Judge Wants $30 Million for Returning to Show

Things didn’t go so smoothly the first time singer and rapper Nicki Minaj joined “American Idol” as a judge. But 10 years after her tumultuous season on the show, she told Bravo’s Andy Cohen that she’s willing to return — for a cool $30 million.

Here’s what you need to know:

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Nicki Minaj Would Need to Make More Than the Current Judges to Return to ‘American Idol’

Minaj, 41, joined “American Idol” as a judge in 2013, sitting on the panel with Mariah Carey, Keith Urban and original judge Randy Jackson.

During an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen on December 14, 2023, Minaj played the show’s “Plead the Fifth” segment in which she could choose to avoid answering only one question from Cohen.

The first question he asked was, “How much money would it take for you to be a judge on ‘American Idol’ again?”

Minaj thought hard about her answer but eventually said, “Well, uh…30.”

Cohen asked if she meant $30 million, to which she said, “Yeah.”

“Alright, she knows her price,” Cohen said, laughing. “I like it!”

That kind of paycheck might rival the earnings of the show’s current judges — Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie. ABC nor the judges have disclosed financial arrangements of their deals.

But according to Celebrity Net Worth, Richie was the lowest paid of the judges in 2019, at $10 million for the season. Forbes reported that Bryan made $12 million per year between 2018 and 2021. Meanwhile, Celebrity Network Worth estimated Perry’s annual “Idol” paycheck to be $25 million.

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Mariah Carey Said Judging With Nicki Minaj Was Like ‘Working With Satan’

The likelihood Minaj would be invited back to judge “American Idol” is not high, though. All three current judges have already begun filming season 22 and the judging panel during season 12, when Minaj was behind the table, was a bit of a train wreck.

She and Carey butted heads early on during auditions, and put each other down during filming, disagreeing on one another’s critiques of contestants, per People.

At one especially challenging point, as seen in report from Fuse, the two stars talked over each other until Minaj blurted out, “Maybe I should just get off the f***ing panel” and walked off the set. Production had to shut down for a bit while the female stars gathered their composure.

Minaj and Carey’s feud made headlines, including when TMZ published leaked video of Minaj cursing out Carey away from the “American Idol” cameras.

At the time, the show’s PR team tried to downplay the feud and told People, “This is one of the best, most passionate, dynamic and invested judging panels we’ve ever had. We love and support all of the judges and the fantastic work they are doing, and we can’t imagine a better group to find the next ‘American Idol.'”

Carey later told radio host Angie Martinez that judging with Minaj was “like going to work with Satan.”

Minaj is probably too busy to even consider a return to “Idol” anyway. She recently released her highly anticipated album “Pink Friday 2” and will launch a global concert tour in 2024.

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