Lazaro Arbos and Devin Velez, former contestants on American Idol, have responded to the recent statements made by Mariah Carey against the reality show. The "Infinity" singer called her experience on the program "abusive."
According to NME, Carey talked about her stint with American Idol as a judge during a Television Critics Association press tour on Aug. 3 for her upcoming show Mariah's World.
"It was the most abusive experience," she told reporters during the event. "You've just driven me to drink"
Viewers who closely followed the reality program might remember that Carey didn't exactly have a smooth time with American Idol partly due to her feud with fellow season 12 judge Nicki Minaj. TMZ even managed to catch a clip of the two fighting during the show.
Arbos remembers the time he appeared on the show with Carey as a judge a bit differently. According to the former contestant, the staff members of the program always treated the entertainer properly.
"I'm honestly shocked she said that, because of all the times we were on the set filming and even when we got to the live shows she was always treated with respect and courtesy from the producers," he said according to Billboard.
"I think [producer] Nigel [Lythgoe] really admired her talent and always treated her like a queen and the legend that she is," Arbos added.
He then noted that perhaps Carey did not mean to direct her negative comments to the show. Instead, she was probably referring to her experience working with Minaj. Velez also believed that Carey may have had a hard time working with American Idol because of Minaj and possibly the other judges Keith Urban and Randy Jackson.
"I can see why that would be frustrating for Mariah," Velez said. "She wanted to do her job and smile for the cameras, but it's hard to do that when her fellow judges aren't doing their jobs."
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