‘American Idol’ Producer: Nicki Minaj “Certainly Will Be” Asked To Judge Next Season

Christina Lee | April 1, 2013 9:55 am

Because of critiques such as, “Get off the stage,” Nicki Minaj‘s tenure as American Idol judge has raised eyebrows and stirred up arguments with fellow judges (Mariah Carey) and even ousted contestant Devin Velez. Regardless, or perhaps because of her brutal honesty, American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe says that Minaj “certainly will be” asked to judge next season.

TMZ had approached Lythgoe over the weekend, mainly to ask whether he would even consider enlisting Justin Bieber as a judge. (“Uh, well I’m just trying to figure out what he’d mentor,” he said.) Meanwhile, after his March 28 elimination, Velez took to a conference call to critique her heated response to his, Lazaro Abos and Burnell Taylor‘s performance of the Four Tops‘ “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch).”

“When she went crazy — when she was like, ‘Get off the stage, blah blah blah,’ … it’s just like, ‘Whoa Miss Minaj, I need you to calm down please,'” Velez said. Watch the American Idol performance of “I Can’t Help Myself” with Minaj’s response, then below that, a 1970 performance by the Four Tops themselves — or, the golden, Motown-implemented standard that Minaj probably had in mind.

Devin Velez, Lazaro Abos and Burnell Taylor’s rendition of “I Can’t Help Myself”:

The Four Tops, “I Can’t Help Myself”: