Mariah Carey Slams Her Time on ‘American Idol’ — “It Was the Most Abusive Experience”

Aug 4, 2016 12:18 pm·

It seems Mariah Carey doesn’t have any fond memories of previously serving as a judge on American Idol.

“Ugh! It was the most the most abusive experience! By the way, you’ve just driven me to drink,” the 46-year-old singer told reporters during a recent interview when asked about appearing on the hit reality show, according to [Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2016/08/04/mariah-carey-slams-american-idol-it-was-most-abusive-experience.html?utmsource=feedburner&utmmedium=feed&utmcampaign=Feed%3A+foxnews%2Fentertainment+%28Internal+-+Entertainment+-+Mixed%29)_.

Mariah with judges Randy Jackson and Nicki on AI in 2013.

The mom-of-two joined American Idol in 2013 for Season 12 but only lasted one season on the series due to an alleged feud with fellow judge Nicki Minaj. In a previous interview, Mariah confessed her time on the show was “boring” and “fake.”

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“That was the worst experience of my life. I’m not going to get into what [the problem] was, let’s just say, I don’t think they had any intentions of [the judges] having a good experience through that show,” she said.

Click through the gallery below to see all the American Idol winners then and now!

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Kelly Clarkson — Season 1, 2002

The 35-year-old has sold more than 45 million albums and won three Grammys since her time on American Idol. She married manager Brandon Blackstock in 2013, and the duo has two children together.

2 of 16

Ruben Studdard — Season 2, 2003

The 39-year-old champ has released six albums, with his first going platinum. He's been nominated for one Grammy and appeared on Season 15 of The Biggest Loser.

3 of 16

Fantasia Barrino — Season 3, 2004

The 33-year-old singer has since released six albums and won a Grammy Award. She welcomed a son named Dallas in 2011, and married businessman Kendall Taylor in July 2015.

4 of 16

Carrie Underwood — Season 4, 2005

The 35-year-old has scooped up seven Grammys and sold more than 65 million albums worldwide. She married pro-hockey player Mike Fisher in 2010, and they welcomed their first child, a son named Isaiah, in February 2015.

5 of 16

Taylor Hicks — Season 5, 2006

The silver-haired 41-year-old and leader of the "Soul Patrol" made his Broadway debut in 2008 with Grease and headlined a residency in Las Vegas. He currently hosts a television show called State Plate.

6 of 16

Jordin Sparks — Season 6, 2007

Jordin, 28, released her third studio album, Right Here Right Now, in August 2015. She's been nominated for one Grammy and in 2017 married Dana Isaiah, and is currently expecting a baby boy.

7 of 16

David Cook — Season 7, 2008

The 35-year-old has released a total of four albums, including 2015's Digital Vein. He became an advocate for brain cancer research following the death of his brother in 2009 from the disease.

8 of 16

Kris Allen — Season 8, 2009

After taking home the win, the 32-year-old released five albums, including 2016's Letting You In. He and his wife Katy O'Connell have two children.

9 of 16

Lee DeWyze — Season 9, 2010

The 31-year-old released his last album, Oil & Water, in February 2016. He married actress Jonna Walsh in 2012.

10 of 16

Scotty McCreery — Season 10, 2011

The 24-year-old has become a well-respected artist in country music circles, winning two American Country Awards. He's currently attending North Carolina State University. In 2017, he got engaged to his longtime girlfriend Gabi Dugal.

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Phillip Phillips — Season 11, 2012

The victor, 27, had a number of hit singles from his debut album, The World from the Side of the Moon, including "Home" and "Gone, Gone, Gone." He married girlfriend Hannah Blackwell in October 2015.

12 of 16

Candice Glover — Season 12, 2013

The 28-year-old is preparing to release her second album independently. She was a performer at the 2014 Dunkin' Donuts Thanksgiving Day Parade in Philadelphia.

13 of 16

Caleb Johnson — Season 13, 2014

The 26-year-old's debut album, Testify, came out in August 2014. After parting ways with his record label in late 2015, he's working on releasing his second album independently.

14 of 16

Nick Fradiani — Season 14, 2015

The 32-year-old released his debut album, Hurricane, in August 2016, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart.

15 of 16

Trent Harmon — Season 15, 2016

The 27-year-old won Idol's final season in April 2016. After signing with Big Machine Records, he released two singles called "Falling" and "There's a Girl".

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