When both Tyler and Lopez left "American Idol" after season 11, Carey stepped in as a judge in 2012. At the time, Carey had recently released an album.

Carey stayed on for just one season. 

In 2015, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the singer told Australian radio show "Kyle and Jackie O" that her time on the show was "so boring and so fake." 

"When I say it's fake, I mean, I have to make up things to say about everybody," she said. "Half the time, the performances are good, you'll just be like, 'It was good.' "