Nicole Scherzinger — 30-Minute Crying Session After ‘X Factor’ Elimination

Nicole Scherzinger ran off the set of ‘X Factor‘ in tears last night … when the audience booed her like crazy for eliminating Rachel Crow … and TMZ has learned she was hysterically crying in her dressing room for nearly a half-hour.

Nicole was charged with casting the final vote between Crow and Marcus Canty … but didn’t want to eliminate either .. so she sent the vote to “Deadlock” — which meant it all boiled down to the audience vote.

Crow lost … and broke down in tears … and when the host of the show asked Nicole to comment, the crowd unleashed a chorus of boos.

Sources connected to the production tell TMZ … Nicole bolted right for her dressing room … and was “inconsolable” about the situation.

We’re told Crow — who was a crying mess herself — heard about Nicole and went to the judge’s dressing room … where the two cried together and Crow told Nicole she was not mad about the decision.

It’s been a rough couple of weeks for Scherzinger — as TMZ first reported, she had already been getting death threats and hate mail for voting Drew Ryniewicz off the show last week.