'American Idol' Wants Nicki Minaj to Judge, but Pepsi and Coke Say No

Nicki Minaj might be become a judge on "American Idol"... but not if this can of cola has anything to say about it.

Minaj is one of the names being considered for the judges' table in "American Idol" season 12, but there's a bit of a soda problem. You see, the pop star recently started doing ads for Pepsi, and seems to be part of a big new campaign for the soda company. That wouldn't normally be an issue, but since "American Idol" is funded to the tune of more than $20 million per year by Coca-Cola, that makes things a bit awkward.

Apparently Minaj is being seriously considered, but Coke doesn't want a Pepsi spokesperson on the panel of the show that they do ever so much product placement on. Ford supposedly had a similar problem with Jennifer Lopez and her Fiat spot, though, so it might not be a dealbreaker.

Of course, Minaj is just one of a seemingly endless line of music stars being considered for the "American Idol" gig. Mariah Carey has already signed up, and it looks like the show wants to go back to a four-judge table, as they did briefly in the past. That table would reportedly include a Latin idol (Enrique Iglesias is a favorite) and a country star (quite possibly Keith Urban).

The move to four judges makes sense at this point, considering that "The X Factor" and "The Voice," the latter of which could end up being serious competition for "Idol," both use a four-judge panel.