Idol gig was ‘like working in hell’: Mariah

Randy Jackson (centre) is embraced by Mariah Carey, left, and Nicki Minaj as he finishes his final season as a judge during the season 12 finale of American Idol in Los Angeles.

Randy Jackson (centre) is embraced by Mariah Carey, left, and Nicki Minaj as he finishes his final season as a judge during the season 12 finale of American Idol in Los Angeles.

Published Nov 14, 2013

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Mariah Carey "hated" being a judge on 'American Idol'.

The 'Art of Letting Go' hitmaker, who served on the show's judging panel for one season that ended six months ago, alongside Nicki Minaj, Randy Jackson and Keith Urban, has confessed it was like "going to work every day in hell with Satan."

The 43-year-old star told Angie Martinez during an interview on New York City radio station Hot 97 on Tuesday (12.11.13): "Honestly, I hated it. Here's what it was. I was the first person who signed on...I thought it was going to be a three-person panel. They gave me a nice...monetary moment, and I was just like, 'Okay, Randy Jackson will be there; I've known him forever. He used to play bass for me. Like, this isn't a big deal. This will be nothing.'"

The singer, who frequently spoke about her issues with rapper Nicki in the past, added: "But it wasn't that. It was like going to work every day in hell with Satan."

Mariah, who previously revealed her husband, Nick Cannon, convinced her to join the show, also accused producers of the Fox series of not putting contestants through for "political reasons."

She said: "You know what I loved? I loved the contestants. And some of them that were so good - and also really good people, you could tell - it was disappointing when [the judges] would, for political reasons, not put people through."

Mariah is gearing up to release her new album early next year.

She said: "I'm thinking February ... because I like the Valentine's Day things, especially the love songs."

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