Mini Mathur says she lost Indian Idol 5 hosting job after revealing pregnancy

Mini Mathur said she was dropped from Indian Idol Season 5 after telling the team she was pregnant with her second child. She said the decision left her feeling let down and later led her to decline a return for Season 6.Mini Mathur on losing Indian Idol 5 hosting job after announcing pregnancy.Mini Mathur has recalled losing her hosting stint on Indian Idol Season 5 after telling the show's team that she was pregnant with her second child, Sairah. The television presenter said she was told that Indian audiences would not accept a pregnant host on the reality show, a decision that left her feeling “very let down”.Speaking to Hauterrfly on the latest episode of The Male Feminist, Mini opened up about how pregnancy affected her professional opportunities at different points in her career. She said she had informed the Indian Idol team about her pregnancy ahead of the show's fifth season and had expected to continue with the programme through the auditions and finale.However, she said the team eventually decided against having her host the season.“When I was expecting Sairah, which was after the fourth season of Indian Idol, and I told the team as they were going to start Season 5, that I am pregnant and I am going to be fine during the auditions but by the time we are doing the finale episodes I will be showing. So I was told to not do the season on my face. Reason? Indian audiences will not be able to accept a pregnant host,” Mini said.Mini said she found the reasoning difficult to understand and felt disappointed by the decision.“I felt very let down, with the fact that these people are not even able to see what is happening in the world,” she said.According to Mini, the team approached her again for Indian Idol Season 6. By then, however, she had decided against returning to the show.“I was called back for Season 6 but by that time my heart was not on the same page. I told that I do not want to do that,” she said.Mini Mathur's television journeyMini began her television career with Tol Mol Ke Bol, which also featured R Madhavan, before becoming an MTV VJ. She later became one of the recognisable faces of Indian Idol, where she hosted the early seasons of the singing reality show.Over the years, she has worked across television, streaming and films. Her credits include the series Mind the Malhotras. More recently, she emerged as the winner of the reality show Alliance on Amazon Prime Video.Mini is married to filmmaker Kabir Khan, and the couple have been together for 28 years. Kabir had previously spoken about their first meeting during an appearance on Neha Dhupia's No Filter Neha.Recalling how they met, Kabir said they first crossed paths during a meeting for a Home TV show, where the winner was set to receive a flat in Bombay. He was working as a freelance cameraperson at the time, while Mini was a presenter. Both had visited the production house's office over scheduling issues.They eventually decided to do the show and travelled across India together, which gave them an opportunity to get to know each other. Despite both working in related fields, Kabir said they had consciously decided not to work together as a couple.- EndsPublished On: Aug 20, 2026 06:18 IST