Nicki Minaj threatened to quit American Idol last night (March 14) as one of her favourite acts was eliminated from the show.

The judge was irate and flabbergasted after Curtis Finch Jr. was dumped from the live finals after failing to win public votes and the unanimous support of the panel.

It was almost too much for the 'Pink Friday' star, who jumped out of her seat when the news broke before sheepishly returning on the advice of Randy Jackson.

She had earlier threatened to quit the show if the singer was eliminated, saying:

"I definitely think Curtis should not be in the bottom two. I mean, I love Devin [Velez] but I think that Curtis, if you look at every one of his performances, I mean - come on, America, are you kidding me? I didn't think that your performance last night was your best, I think it was your worst. Curtis, if you go home, I go home."