Steven Tyler Blasts New Idol Judges; Nicki Minaj Calls Him a "Racist"
Nicki Minaj, Steven Tyler
It looks like Mariah Carey is safe... for the time being.
Nicki Minaj is now feuding with another member of the American Idol family — former judge Steven Tyler.
Tyler, 64, got on Minaj's bad side when he criticized the singing competition's new judges in a recent interview. "I know that they've got something going on on the judges' panel, [and] it shouldn't be that, it should be the opposite," Tyler told MTV News in reference to Minaj's feud with Carey. "They should have something going on, which is called 'camaraderie.'"
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Tyler, who judged the show with now-departed Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson for the last two seasons, also expressed his doubt about the new judges' ability to nuture undiscovered talent. "These kids, they just got out of a car from the Midwest somewhere and they're in New York City, they're scared to death; you're not going to get the best [out of them]," Tyler said. "If it was Bob Dylan, Nicki Minaj would have had him sent to the cornfield. Whereas, if it was Bob Dylan with us, we would have brought the best of him out, as we did with Phillip Phillips. Just saying."
Seemingly never one to back down from an argument, Minaj spoke out against Tyler and his comments. "Steven Tyler said I would have sent Bob Dylan to a cornfield??? Steven, you haven't seen me judge one single solitary contestant yet!" Minaj tweeted on Monday. "You assume that I wouldn't have liked Bob Dylan??? Why? Black? Rapper? What? Go f--- yourself and worry about yourself babe."
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Minaj blamed Tyler's comments on bitterness stemming from his Idol exit earlier this summer. "I understand you really wanted to keep your job, but take that up with the producers. I haven't done anything to you. That's a racist comment."
The new season of American Idol — with its new judges — premieres on Jan. 16 at 8/7c on Fox.