Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe: 'Nicki Minaj did not threaten Mariah Carey'

AMERICAN IDOL boss NIGEL LYTHGOE has blasted reports suggesting rapper NICKI MINAJ threatened to "shoot" fellow TV judge MARIAH CAREY during a furious on set bust-up on Tuesday (02Oct12).

The two new panellists - the latest superstar mentors hired for the hit U.S. reality show - were filming an audition in Charlotte, North Carolina this week when they became embroiled in a huge argument over a contestant.

In video footage posted online, an angry Minaj can be seen shouting and swearing at the Hero hitmaker, telling producers, "I told them, I'm not f**kin' putting up with her f**kin' highness over there."

Reports suggest Minaj continued the rant and, in the heat of the argument, allegedly raged, "If I had a gun I would shoot her (Carey)."

However, Idol executive producer Lythgoe has spoken out to insist there is no truth to the story, and reveals Carey confronted Minaj on Wednesday morning (03Oct12) to get to the bottom of the death threat claims.

He tells TMZ.com, "The statement (that Minaj made a death threat) is absolute rubbish. It's absolutely not true in any way, shape or form."

And Idol host Ryan Seacrest has also spoken out about the altercation and the reports.

During his radio show on Wednesday morning (03Oct12) he said, "It got heated, as reported... I was not standing in the room to see it happen live... but it was intense.

"It was towards the end of the day... and so producers came in and they said, 'Look, we're gonna call it a wrap for the day. Everybody go home and get a good night's rest.'"

The auditions were set to continue on Wednesday.