Nicki Minaj And Mariah Carey's American Idol Feud Reignites At Press Conference

9 January 2013, 10:41 | Updated: 9 January 2013, 10:52

The female stars come to blows once again after insisting their arguments on the show are not an act.

Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey once again reignited their feud on American Idol at a press conference yesterday (8th January), where they insisted their rowing is not part of an act.

Mariah was asked a question on whether their sparring on the show was simply a way to generate more attention for the launch of the series.

"It's a passionate panel, she said. "The fight is what it is."

A journalist reportedly then asked the pair to say something nice about one another.

"I say nice things about Mariah all the time," quipped Nicki. "She is one of my favourite artists of all time. To be on a panel with her, it's kind of crazy.

"All the singers come in aspiring to be Mariah, in terms of talent and in terms of career length."

The 42 year-old star apparently thanked her fellow judge for the comments and added: "We did a song that was from my album and it was called, ironically, 'Up Out My Face'. It was one of my favorite songs. 

She added: "And I did feel like she was going to go very far and still have that feeling. I am grateful for anything nice that she or anyone has to say."

The pair then agreed that their fighting had somewhat "distracted" away from what the show is about but Mariah upset Nicki by saying the fight was "one-sided".

She said: "It was sort of a one-sided thing."

An angered Nicki then responded: "No, it wasn't! See? They don't want a rising star, they want drama." 

The pair first came to blows during auditions in North Charlotte last year, with the 'Pound The Alarm' rapper launching a foul-mouthed attack on her fellow judge.

The new series of American Idol airs later this month on 16th January.