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Stevie Nicks has apologized for her remarks about strangling Nicki Minaj had she been in Mariah Carey's shoes during their taped altercation last week

"American Idol" judge Carey seems to have taken the high road in her much-hyped "feud" with fellow new judge Minaj. The tiff involved Minaj's cursing at Carey and, according to Carey, threatening her.

During a recent promotional interview, Nicks said that had she been in a similar situation, she would have responded with violence.

Speaking to The Daily while promoting her new documentary, "In Your Dreams," Stevie Nicks said, "How dare this little girl. … If I had been Mariah, I would have walked over to Nicki and strangled her to death right there."

Nicks, 64, who got rave reviews as a mentor on "American Idol" last season, added, "I would have killed her in front of all those people and had to go to jail for it."

Nicks today issued a statement saying she regrets her remarks.

"I want to apologize for my remarks about Nicki Minaj's behavior toward Mariah Carey, which I said during a long and exhausting day of interviews," Nicks said. "It was very out of character for me and I deeply regret what I said.

"I feel very protective toward Mariah Carey, who has gone through many difficulties in her life, and I spoke without thinking. I think all artists should be respectful toward one another and that includes me. I am truly sorry," she said.

The taped incident, in which Minaj is seen screaming and swearing at Carey, hasn't soured Nicks on the concept of "American Idol," however.

She tells The Daily that if she and [fellow Fleetwood Mac member] Lindsey Buckingham were starting out today, they would "absolutely" have auditioned for the show, or "The Voice" or "The X Factor," for that matter. But Buckingham, she said, would have probably resisted.

"I would have had to drag [him] kicking and screaming," she said. "He probably would have given them the finger."