Mariah Carey Gets Real About 'American Idol': 'It Was a Bleak Experience'

To make things clear…Mariah Carey did not enjoy being a judge on American Idol.

The singer made an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Wednesday (June 6) to talk about her The Butterfly Returns Residency in Las Vegas, new music, and more. The topic of American Idol did come up.

“Is it true that you told [Lionel Richie] not to do American Idol when he was thinking about whether or not he should judge it?” Jimmy asked Mariah, who judged on season 12 alongside Nicki Minaj.

“If I didn’t, I should have,” Mariah said as the audience laughed. “It was a bleak experience. We don’t have to go back there…I’ll tell you the best part was some of the memes we got.”

Pictured below: Mariah after recording her appearance on Wednesday (June 6) in Los Angeles.