‘She Was Not Happy.’ Simon Cowell Explains Why He Thinks Britney Spears Didn’t Like Working With Him On The X Factor

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Although Britney Spears has stepped away from making pop music, she once aimed to guide other aspiring artists. She briefly joined the judging panel of The X Factor in 2012, working alongside Simon Cowell, but she didn’t enjoy it, admitting in her memoir that she “absolutely hated” the experience. Now, Simon Cowell is sharing his thoughts on what went wrong.

Why Britney Spears Said She ‘Hated’ Her Time On The X Factor

Britney Spears shared a lot of personal details in her 2023 memoir, The Woman in Me, including stories about her family, the difficulties she faced during her conservatorship, and her relationship and split with Justin Timberlake in the early 2000s. She also discussed her time as a judge on The X Factor, alongside Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid, and Demi Lovato.

She explained that while performers like Christina Aguilera and Gwen Stefani seemed to love being in the spotlight, she felt much more anxious on set these days. She used to be comfortable with cameras, but now she gets ‘very, very nervous’ during filming, according to her memoir (as reported by the New York Post).

I’ve realized that kind of work just isn’t for me anymore, and I’m comfortable with that. I can confidently decline opportunities that don’t feel right. I’ve been pressured into things I didn’t enjoy in the past, and it wasn’t a good experience. A quick, fun appearance on a TV show would be great, but spending eight hours on camera judging others? That’s something I definitely don’t want to do – I really disliked it.

Simon Cowell addressed similar topics in a recent New York Times interview, seemingly without knowing about the previous comments made on the subject, when he talked about Britney Spears.

Simon Cowell Says Britney Spears ‘Wasn’t Happy’ On The Singing Competition

It’s unfortunate Britney Spears didn’t enjoy her time on The X Factor. Apparently, she was the one who initially contacted Simon Cowell about becoming a judge, as he explained:

Someone mentioned that Britney might want to collaborate with me. I was skeptical, so I asked if she’d be willing to talk on the phone. To my surprise, she agreed to call me Friday night at 8 p.m., and she did! We ended up talking for two hours. She was incredibly fun, enthusiastic, and interesting, and it seems like she genuinely wants to do this to mentor someone.

The record executive arranged another call to confirm their first conversation wasn’t just a lucky break, but it proved to be even more successful. He said their second meeting was fantastic and was incredibly impressed by her intelligence and warm personality. However, things changed when they began evaluating contestants for Season 2 of The X Factor. Cowell explained:

At the launch event, Britney didn’t seem thrilled, and told me she hadn’t expected so many reporters. I reminded her it was a press launch. During the show itself, she had a really hard time telling people ‘no’ – she just wasn’t comfortable with it.

It’s tough for any artist judging a singing competition to tell talented hopefuls they aren’t moving forward. Carrie Underwood found it really difficult when she came back to American Idol, and Ariana Grande decided not to return to The Voice because she became too emotionally invested in her contestants.

As a huge fan of the show, I always found it interesting to hear behind-the-scenes stories. Apparently, Simon Cowell recognized Britney Spears was struggling with sending contestants home. He told her they just couldn’t send everyone through, and if she truly didn’t want to continue with the judging, he’d happily let her off the hook. They apparently had really long conversations about it, away from the cameras, as he later shared.

I met her when she visited my home, and we had a long conversation. I was really trying to understand how she was feeling – whether she was truly happy or not. Ultimately, I felt she wasn’t. It was as if she presented two completely different sides of herself.

When someone mentioned Britney Spears’ statement that she “absolutely hated” being on the show, Simon Cowell acted surprised, asking, “Did she?” and then continued…

That’s unfortunate. I told the network that if she wasn’t interested, we needed to let her off the hook. No one pressured her into anything.

Britney Spears might not look back fondly on her experience competing on the Fox reality show, but Simon Cowell still has a high opinion of her. He even considered her as his top pick to be a judge alongside him if he had brought back The X Factor in 2023.

As a total movie and pop culture buff, I always appreciate someone who gets star power, and Simon Cowell definitely does. He’s right about Britney – she isn’t just famous, she knows how to command a stage. It’s clear to me why he thinks her experience with performance, visuals, picking the right songs, and understanding the industry would be incredibly helpful for new artists trying to break through. She’s got the whole package, and that’s something you can’t teach.

Unfortunately it doesn’t sound like a role that she would consider going back to.

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2025-12-01 22:40