Nicki Minaj/ Mariah Carey Feud Just 'Theatrics,' Nick Cannon Says

The dust is still settling after a videotaped argument between "American Idol" judges Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey hit the Web on Tuesday.

Although neither Minaj nor Carey have issued a formal statement about the incident, several people close to the situation have spoken out about it, like Carey's husband and fellow reality-TV showman Nick Cannon, who told "Access Hollywood" that Fox deserves a lot of the blame for setting up the pressure-cooker scenario that fostered the argument.

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"When you think about what the show is actually about and represents ... I feel like it's taking away from the quality of what 'Idol' is all about," he said. "This is about people accomplishing their dreams, experts guiding these young people to do what they've done.

"My wife is the strongest and classiest woman that I've ever met," Cannon continued, speaking to how Carey handled the situation. "If you watch the video, she just maintains her composure. ... I don't think she's moved by the theatrics and pageantry of it all. She signed up to do a job to help young people. ... This is like a sidebar. I hope that's not what this show becomes, about the catfights. The show is solely about a singing competition. That's why America loves these shows, they want to see people reach a certain goal or win ... and then to make it about something it's not, [it] kind of shows that the producers and the network are losing their foot a little bit."

Cannon said he thought his wife was not too upset about the situation and that she was focused on checking in on her family when she called him after the incident. With regard to her work on "Idol," Carey is genuinely interested in finding and fostering young talent, Cannon said.

"She called me and we were talking about the kids. ... At the end of the day, she's a mom, and that's my wife. ... We got diapers to change and kids to raise," he said. "I think that [avoiding on-set drama] was one of her main concerns. ... [She] signed up to be a mentor on a show that is about people accomplishing their dreams."