Nicki Minaj was late for American Idol last night because she was stuck in traffic. The judge appeared to miss the evening's first performance by Curtis Finch Jr., but while she wasn't in her seat to give him her thoughts on his singing, he claims she heard him.

"During the performance, she was backstage," Curtis - who performed Fantasia's "Believe" - told E! News. He added the star almost ran into her as he stepped off stage, adding, "It was literally like, 'Step, step, step, curtain, Nicki. And she was like, 'Good job today.' To see her backstage was comforting."

Some of the other contestants noted Nicki has fallen foul of Los Angeles' notoriously bad traffic before. "It's not the first time and probably not the last. But I'm OK with it. I love Nicki," Paul Jolley said.

Burnell Taylor, who sang Westlife's "Flying Without Wings" on the show feels Nicki has earned the right to be late if she chooses: "I mean, when you look that good, you have to be late."

Devin Velez came up with some possible solutions to get the "Starships" rapper to the studios on time. "Maybe we could get her a helicopter. Or some tennis shoes, so she can run," he said.

Other singers in the final include Lazaro Arbos, Janelle Arthur, Candice Glover, Kree Harrison, Amber Holcomb and Angie Miller.