Update!

American Idol Drama: Nicki Minaj Goes Off on Mariah Carey at Judges' Table

Singer-rapper yells at her fellow judge in a leaked video and a source tells us that show producers, Fox "are still deciding how to handle" the situation

By Natalie Finn Oct 03, 2012 1:02 PMTags
American Idol, Randy Jackson, Mariah Carey, Ryan Seacrest, Nicki Minaj, Keith UrbanMichael Becker / FOX

Well, Nicki Minaj promised us great TV.

The hip-hop star gave someone hell on the set of American Idol today, and that someone was Mariah Carey.

So far, there's been no official response to questions about what really went down—but there's video of Minaj mid-rant.

"If you've got a f--king problem, handle it!" Minaj, clad in head-to-toe pink, can be seen shouting in a video shot Tuesday during an Idol audition in Charlotte, N.C., and obtained by TMZ, which also reported that Minaj later threatened to "knock [Carey] out."

Idol producer FremantleMedia had nothing to say about the reported drama, and reps for Carey, Minaj and Keith Urban have not responded to requests for comment.

But an Idol source tells E! News, "This is the sort of thing producers considered might happen when they cast Nikki opposite Mariah, but not this bad and not this fast. They have to protect Mariah to make sure she doesn't walk. After everything it took to get that panel in place, they need everyone, especially Mariah. She was their first choice." 

As for what Minaj allegedly told Carey afterward, the source adds, "Physical threats are taken seriously and [show producers and Fox execs] are still deciding how to handle. It's not an easy call."

"I told them, I'm not putting up with her f--king highness over here," Minaj continues in the video, turning to face Carey as Urban, who's sitting between them, appears to try to calm the hip-hop star down. Randy Jackson was sitting on Carey's other side and didn't seem to get involved.

Carey responds and gestures past Minaj, toward the door, but the audio isn't clear.

"whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy," Carey tweeted this afternoon—a post that was later deleted from her page.

Urban's interpretation of the day's events, meanwhile, was a little less cryptic.

"Awesome #IdolAuditions day today Charlotte," the cucumber-cool country star tweeted. "Lotta soul, lotta country, lotta down home cool. -KU."

(Originally published Oct. 2, 2012, at 8:22 p.m. PT)