Mariah Carey's husband, Nick Cannon, has stepped up to clarify what his wife meant when she said her time as a season 12 judge on "American Idol" was "like going to work every day in hell with Satan."

Last week Carey appeared on Hot 97, a New York radio station, where she said she did not enjoy her season with "American Idol." Many assumed that Carey was referring to working with co-judge Nicki Minaj, who Carey constantly bickered with on air.

Cannon, on the other hand, says that Carey was not putting all the blame on Nicki Minaj.

"I don't think [her 'Satan' comment] was about the people on the panel," Cannon said on Friday's episode of "Access Hollywood Live." "It's about when someone tells you something and paints a picture one way, and then that's not the case. If she's used to being treated a certain way and then you have a network that says, 'No, we're gonna do this,' then..."

Rumor has it that Carey was originally told that she would be the only female judge on the judging panel that season, so the diva was unhappy when "Idol" producers added Nicki Minaj to the table.

"[Mariah] was like, 'You said it was going be this, and then it turned out to be this.' From that point on, it was just bad," Cannon said.

Cannon stated that Carey "hated" being on "American Idol," but her comments were not an attack on her former co-worker.

"I don't think she was speaking directly about [Nicki Minaj]," he said. "I think she was talking about the situation in general. In her mind, it's bigger than that. If my wife wanted to [call Nicki Minaj Satan], she would've said that. She has no problem [saying] how she feels! She was talking about the situation in general."

Season 14 of "American Idol" will premiere on Jan. 15 and Jan. 16 with two-hour episodes at 8 p.m. on Fox.

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