In the space of twenty-four hours, we heard a rumor that Nicki Minaj was going to be a judge on American Idol, that all of a sudden came true somehow, except then Mariah Carey went all diva about it, now no one’s sure how that’ll end up. I’d like to reiterate: all of that took place in less than a day. Well, now Kanye West is rumored to be in talks to sign on as a judge, because Idol is essentially just musical chairs for rich people these days. TMZ reports …
Sources close to the production tell TMZ, “Idol” honchos reached out to Kanye recently about filling one of the open judging spots … and Kanye expressed interest. But that doesn’t mean he’s on board — we’re told Yeezy is still unsure about accepting the gig. The way it was put to us … “He’s on the fence,” because he’s not sure if “A.I.” is in his wheelhouse. And there’s another big hang up — cash. Informed sources tell TMZ … “Idol” would “at least match Mariah’s salary” — a cool $18 mil a year. It looks like Nicki Minaj is either close to signing a deal or has signed one to become a judge, but we’re told producers may well add a 4th judge. As we reported, the frontrunners are Keith Urban, Brad Paisley and Enrique Iglesias, but Kanye would clearly trump them all.
I’m just waiting for the point when the producers of American Idol just throw their hands up in the air and go “screw it, we don’t care!” before cramming every celebrity on the show in five minute increments. “Honestly, I thought your version was a little pitchy, and … oh, red light, time to let Donnie Wahlberg give his two cents. And after him: Ke$ha!”