TV host Mini Mathur, the face of Indian Idol for years, has opened up about the real reason she parted ways with the show that brought her nationwide recognition — and it had nothing to do with creative fatigue. In a candid chat with Vickey Lalwani on his YouTube channel, Mini revealed that her ouster came not by choice, but because the producers felt India wasn’t “ready” for a pregnant host.

“Indian audiences weren’t ready for a pregnant host”

“I didn’t get bored with Indian Idol,” Mini clarified, addressing speculation that she had moved on voluntarily. “They changed the hosts after Season 6. But during Season 4, I was expecting my daughter, and they said, ‘I don’t think Indian audiences are ready to have a pregnant host.’ That hurt. My identity was linked with Indian Idol.”

Mini, who co-hosted the early seasons of the show with Hussain Kuwajerwala, expressed her disappointment at the double standards in the industry. “I was very popular as their host. And internationally, there are pregnant women hosting shows like Project Runway. So what if I’m pregnant? How does that change anything?”

She later returned for Season 6 — but that was the end of her journey with Indian Idol. “I didn’t decide to leave. They just changed the hosts, and that was that. And I was okay with that,” she added.

Reality TV became “too fake”

Mini also took a swipe at the increasing scripting and emotional manipulation on reality shows, saying the shift made her uncomfortable. “When we started Indian Idol Season 1, everything was real-people, real tears,” she recalled. “But then someone said, ‘Let’s recreate a moment.’ I can’t pretend emotions. I’m not an actor on a reality show. That’s when I knew I was done.”

She concluded by calling out the shift in tone of such shows: “I found it very manipulative. That’s why Season 1, 2, and 3 were so loved — because they were authentic.”