Steven Tyler Apologizes to Nicki Minaj; Ex-American Idol Judge Says He's "Not a Racist"

"Maybe I spoke out of turn," he tells eTalk after his criticism of the singer sparked a Twitter outrage

By Rebecca Macatee Nov 28, 2012 4:54 PMTags
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Steven Tyler isn't looking to feud.

The former American Idol judge is sorry that Nicki Minaj found his comments to be racist. "I apologize if it was taken wrong, Nicki," the Aerosmith rocker said Tuesday on eTalk, a Canadian entertainment show.

"But I am the farthest from [being a racist]," he said. "I am the last thing on this planet as far as being a racist. I don't know where she got that out of me saying I'm not sure how she would've judged Bob Dylan." 

Minaj was outraged after Tyler told MTV he thought the "Starships" singer "would have sent [Dylan] to the cornfield" if he'd come on Idol. But Tyler insisted he only meant, "if Bob Dylan came on the show, he would've been thrown off."

"Maybe I spoke out of turn," he said. "But a racist I'm not, Nicki."