Mariah Carey is the latest to leave 'American Idol' - Los Angeles Times
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Mariah Carey is the latest to leave ‘American Idol’

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Mariah Carey is the latest judge to exit the once-mighty “American Idol.”

The pop diva confirmed via Twitter that the season just concluded was her last. The confirmation, via her publicists at PMK BNC stated, “W/ global success of “#Beautiful” (#1 in 30+ countries so far) @MariahCarey confirms world tour & says goodbye 2 Idol.”

Carey follows fellow “Idol” judge Randy Jackson out the door, leaving Keith Urban and Nicki Minaj as the remaining judges on the show. There had been previous reports that Minaj was also set to leave “Idol,” but nothing official has been declared.

PHOTOS: ‘American Idols’ -- where are they now?

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Another report had stated that all four judges had been let go from “Idol” after a second year of lackluster ratings. (It has had two straight seasons of double-digit drops in viewership.) But at Fox’s upfront presentation to advertisers in May, Fox entertainment chairman Kevin Reilly stated that all the judges were welcome back for the show’s 13th season but that they would be returning to a three-judge format.

The 12th-season finale was the lowest-rated season finale ever for the series, with 14.3 million viewers.

Carey’s year on the show was marked by a protracted feud with Minaj. In a May appearance on KTLA, Carey’s husband, Nick Cannon, spoke about the feud, telling the “Morning News” anchors, “My wife [had] foreseen all this. She tried to tell the network, ‘I don’t think this is going to work. I’m afraid... I don’t need this.’”

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