Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj have both confirmed they are leaving American Idol. On Thursday, the onscreen rivals separately announced their departure from the show as they take time to focus on their careers.Mum-of-two Mariah, 43, is leaving the show after one season — for which she was reportedly paid $18 million — to undertake a new world tour following the success of her latest single Beautiful.
She announced the news on Twitter, retweeting a post by her reps that read, "W/ global success of #Beautiful (#1 in 30+ countries so far) @Mariah Carey confirms world tour & says goodbye 2 Idol. "Minutes, Starships singer Nicki, 30, tweeted, "Thank you American Idol for a life changing experience! Wouldn't trade it for the world! Time to focus on the music!! Mmmmuuuuaahhh!!"The news comes weeks after speculation that the whole judging panel would be leaving the show — Randy Jackson has already announced his departure, saying he was looking forward to "focusing on my company… and other business ventures. "Now only Keith Urban's future on American Idol remains unclear. Ever since Mariah and Nicki joined the show, drama has never been far behind. Their onscreen feud became such a talking point of the early stages of auditions that President Obama commented on their rivalry.
© Photo: Getty ImagesCalling into a radio show, the US leader was cheekily asked whether he would be able to mend the pair's strained relationship. "I think they are going to be able to sort it out. I am confident," he said. "I am all about bringing people together, working for the same cause. I think both outstanding artists are going to be able to make sure that they're moving forward and not going backwards. "Asked which singer is his favorite, the president simply stated, "Mariah, she's actually done some events for us. I've gotten to know her and Nick (Cannon, her husband). She's a wonderful lady. Nicki I don't know, but I've got her on my iPod."
