Wednesday, January 9, 2013 3:23am ET by  
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American Idol boss says Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj spat was real

American Idol executives have inisisted that a fall out between judges Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj was genuine.

The pair are both newbies to the show after signing up as judges in 2012.

However, they got off to a rocky start when a video emerged of Minaj arguing with Carey on set.

Speaking at the Television Critics Association's winter press tour, Fox reality television executive Mike Darnell said that the whole panel are "passionate" about success - and this might indeed create divisions. He said:

"There's passion in this group. They disagree about the talent and how to approach the talent. [But] it's not just the girls, it's everybody."

Darnell continued: "This is a very passionate panel. There's a lot of strong personalities. Starting this process, I felt like there was a possibility that there could be differences of opinion…The fighting is what it is. This is American Idol. It's bigger than all that. It's about the next huge talent superstar that will come from this show."

The pair's friction seems to have subsided recently, with Minaj admitting at a press conference that Carey is one of her favourite artists.

 

 

 

Watch Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey argue on set below: