Why did Simon Cowell say Britney struggled on 'The X Factor'? Judge remembers pop icon's discomfort with publicity

Simon Cowell has reacted to Britney Spears’ claim in her 2023 memoir that she didn’t enjoy her time as a judge on the second season of X Factor. The television personality, in an exclusive interview with The New York Times, published on November 29, 2025, recalled how he learned that Spears was eager to work as a judge on the talent competition show and how he reached out to her to make it a reality.

He claimed that the Gimme More hitmaker’s attitude towards the show changed when it was time for press runs. Cowell added that he discovered Britney was uncomfortable with publicity:

“We do a press launch, and Britney’s there, and she doesn’t look that happy. And I said, ‘What’s the matter?’ She said, ‘I didn’t realize there was going to be so much press around,’” 

According to Cowell, Spears struggled with saying no while on the show:

"And then on the show, she really struggled with saying no to people. Just didn’t like it.”

"She wasn’t happy. That’s what I took away. It was like two different people,” Simon Cowell on Britney Spears' demeanor during X Factor filming 

Cowell claimed that the pop icon visited him in his house at the time when she was a judge at X Factor, and he could sense her unhappiness:

“I got to know her when she came over to my house one time, and we just talked and talked, because I really wanted to get inside her head. Was she happy? Was she unhappy?” he recalled. “She wasn’t happy. That’s what I took away. It was like two different people.”

Cowell was reminded about Spears’ statement about hating her time on the show, and he responded:

“I did say to the network, ‘I don’t know if she wants to do it, and if she doesn’t, we’ve got to give her the option of being able to leave.’ No one was forcing her,” he said. “She also mentioned to me how much she didn’t like pop music. She was into a different kind of music. So I think she probably struggled with mentoring the artists.”

He added that he ensured the star had the room to leave anytime she wanted:

“We do a press launch, and Britney’s there, and she doesn’t look that happy. And I said, ‘What’s the matter?’ She said, ‘I didn’t realize there was going to be so much press around.’ And I went, ‘Well, it is a press launch.’ And then on the show, she really struggled with saying no to people. Just didn’t like it. The first day I sat with her, and I said: ‘Look, there’s two choices. If you really don’t want to do this, I’ll get you out of it.”

Simon Cowell, amongst other things, talked about forming the widely successful One Direction band.

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