Simon Cowell regrets that Britney Spears had a negative experience on "The X Factor": 'She Wasn't Happy'

Simon Cowell has expressed regret that Britney Spears did not enjoy her time on The X Factor. The music executive revealed he had offered Spears an early exit from the show if she wished to leave.

Cowell recalled recruiting Spears as a judge for the shows second season in 2012. Although the pop star joined for just one season, she later described her experience in her memoir as something she absolutely hated.

In a conversation with The New York Times, Cowell admitted he was initially unsure if Spears genuinely wanted to take on the judging role. He scheduled a call with her, hearing that she was interested but doubting it would come to fruition. During the two-hour discussion, he found Spears fun, engaged, passionate, and interesting.

She genuinely wanted to do it for the right reasons, to mentor others, Cowell said. I thought, brilliant. To ensure her enthusiasm wasnt temporary, he arranged a second call and was pleased to find her still committed to joining the show.

However, Cowell noted that Spears mood shifted once press obligations began. At the press launch, she didnt seem happy. She told me she hadnt expected so much media attention, he said. He also mentioned that Spears struggled with saying no to contestants during filming.

On the first day of shooting, Cowell offered her the option to leave if she truly wanted to quit. I spent time with her, trying to understand if she was happy or unhappy. She wasnt happy. It was like she became a different person, he reflected.

When reminded that Spears criticized her X Factor experience in her 2023 memoir The Woman in Me, Cowell called it a shame. He added, I told the network she should have the choice to leave. No one forced her. She also mentioned that she didnt really like pop music, which may have made mentoring contestants challenging.

Spears memoir revealed that she was living under a conservatorship and dealing with psychological stress following her divorce from Kevin Federline. Despite feeling nervous and out of place on television, she threw herself into work. To act skeptical for eight hours straight while judging people on TV? No, thank you. I absolutely hated it, she wrote.

Spears recently celebrated her 44th birthday and released a paperback edition of her memoir, which sold nearly three million copies in the U.S. and spent 20 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, including five weeks at No. 1.

Cowell is preparing to release a six-episode Netflix docuseries, Simon Cowell: The Next Act, on December 10.

Author: Harper Simmons