There used to be a time when the final few contestants on American Idol were household names. Fast forward a few years later, the most recognizable ones are behind the judges' panel: Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey.

The show is down to its final three contestants (Candice, Andie, Kree in case you happened to be wondering), and the tension is still the same between Minaj and Carey. The feud was the focus of a column by Access Hollywood's Laura Saltman that sparked a viscious Twitter back and forth.

Saltman wrote a column about what she perceives to be unprofessionalism on Minaj's end. She noted that Minaj called Carey "sir" after an exchange and, more recently, called her Honey Boo Boo. Carey didn't respond to the slights when asked about it backstage because of a suggestion by her publicist. Saltman criticized Minaj (who apparently denied getting questioned backstage) and her Twitter presence :

Nicki’s comments yesterday on Twitter show who she really is – a mean girl, a cyber-bully who is just perpetuating the problems of social media. When will society finally take a stand and say ‘Enough!’ with all of the hateful, spiteful things people say about each other? We are more connected than ever online but more willing to hide behind our anonymous avatars and be nasty to people we barely know. As a celebrity, I would hope that Nicki would understand her fans look to her as a role model and she should choose her words more wisely. From what I have seen of her behavior since “Idol” began, I’m not sure she is capable of this. She’s a female rapper who should be proud of her accomplishments as a woman not cutting other women down.

When will society say enough? Well, it's not this Friday as Nicki and some of her fans threw some hard shots in Saltman's direction. 

Saltman responded to some of the vitriol, which unfortunately ended in a threat:

 

RELATED: Nicki Minaj: Self-Possessed (2012 Cover Story)