Pop diva Mariah Carey has been paid the queenly sum of $17 million to be a judge on "American Idol" – the same amount Jennifer Lopez sought to stay on another year, an individual close to the negotiations told TheWrap.
The insider said the $17 million made her the highest-paid judge on a television singing competition, a claim that could not immediately be confirmed.
A Fox spokeswoman declined to comment.
As TheWrap exclusively reported previously, Lopez sought a $2 million raise from her $15 million salary as a judge in the 2011 season to stay on for another year.
Fox chose not to renew her option as it seeks to reboot the show, which has suffered declining ratings.
Lopez's departure announcement came a day after Aerosmith frontman Steve Tyler said he would not be returning to the show after two seasons.
The show is expected to announce the rest of the judging panel in the next couple of weeks, Fox executives said at a gathering for television critics on Monday. It is still not clear whether Randy Jackson, the only remaining original "Idol" judge, would return to the show.
