Not every moment was marred by working with Minaj, however. "You know what I loved? I loved the contestants," Carey told radio host Angie Martinez. "And some of them that were so good—and also really good people, you could tell—it was disappointing when [the judges] would, for political reasons, not put people through."

Carey has no plans to ever judge a televised talent competition again. "I like being in the studio better and going on my own tours, etc., so we're going back to that," she vowed.

Neither Carey nor Minaj will return to the show for Season 15 in January 2014. Instead, Keith Urban will be joined by Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick, Jr., with Jackson taking on a mentor role.