Jennifer Hudson confesses that she hasn’t been watching too much American Idol of late.

The 31-year-old singer was a finalist in the TV singing competition in 2004 but admits she hasn’t really been following the headlines regarding the feud between current Idol judges Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey.

Despite her lack of awareness of the situation between the diva panelists, Jennifer reveals that she is intrigued by why American Idol has such a successful format.

"It's television, and Idol is very good at what the machine does," she told MTV News.

"I haven't really watched this season. Although I am in the wings, and I always try to peek in and check it out. I am curious to see the judges on the show, from Mariah to Nicki, and I'm not too familiar with anyone else, but I think the public is so used to seeing the faces of Simon, Paula and Randy. It's kind of hard to adjust to new characters. So whatever they're doing, it's probably a good thing."

Jennifer is currently at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah to promote her new drama The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete.

American Idol S12 premiers on M-Net on Saturday 26 January.