Britney Spears Reveals Why She ‘Absolutely Hated’ Judging The X Factor
Britney Spears’ short stint as a judge on Fox’s The X Factor may have blessed the internet with some absolutely perfect reaction gifs, but that’s about the only good thing to come out of the experience, according to the singer’s just-released memoir.
On sale now, The Woman in Me reveals — among many, many other things — Spears’ candid thoughts about the four months she spent on the panel with Simon Cowell, Demi Lovato and L.A. Reid.
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“I think a lot of people are really professional on TV,” Spears writes, specifically citing The Voice coaches Christina Aguilera and Gwen Stefani. “When the camera’s on them, they thrive. And that’s great. … I used to be able to do that when I was younger, but I feel like I age backwards when I’m afraid. I got to where I was very, very nervous if I knew I had to be on air, and I didn’t like being nervous all day long.”
So it’s no surprise that Spears is ruling out the possibility of judging another reality show: “To act skeptical for eight straight hours while judging on TV? Uh, no thank you. I absolutely hated it.”
That said, she remains open to being a special guest star, writing that she’d prefer a “cute cameo on a fun TV show” where she can be “in and out in a day.”
Spears’ small-screen career began with Disney Channel’s Mickey Mouse Club, on which she sang and danced alongside future stars like Ryan Gosling, Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera from 1993 to 1994. She has also made memorable appearances on several major scripted series, including Will & Grace (2006), How I Met Your Mother (2008), Glee (2010) and Jane the Virgin (2015).
Aside from The X Factor, Spears’ only other foray into reality television was the short-lived docuseries Britney and Kevin: Chaotic, which chronicled the day-to-day exploits of Spears and then-husband Kevin Federline. It aired for one five-episode season on UPN in 2005.
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