Britney Spears Was On 'So Much Medication' During 'X-Factor,' Reveals Guest Judge Louis Walsh
June 14 2021, Published 2:35 p.m. ET
Britney Spears was on "so much medication" when she was a judge on The X-Factor, claims Louis Walsh, who filled in for Simon Cowell during the Kansas City auditions in 2012.
The 68-year-old X Factor UK judge spilled details about what it was like working with the 39-year-old pop icon and revealed she "wasn't there mentally" during filming.
Walsh spoke out to the Irish Independent, telling the outlet, "I was sitting with Britney for two days, and after every few auditions, she would go…" He then reportedly slumped over with his neck flopping in his chair.
He continued by saying that Britney's condition made the filming process drag out.
"They would literally have to stop the show and take her out because she was on so much medication and other stuff," he said, adding, "I felt sorry for her."
“Here she was, the biggest pop star on the planet, and she was just sitting there physically, but she wasn’t there mentally. She had a lot of problems," Walsh told the outlet.
When asked if Spears should have been receiving help for her mental state instead of being on a television show in front of millions each week, Walsh laughed.
“She was getting millions of dollars to do it, so why the f--k wouldn’t she sit there?” he responded.
Spears was only on The X-Factor for one season. She began her Piece Of Me residency in Las Vegas shortly after.
In a 2012 interview with Elle, Spears revealed she would often suffer "panic attack after panic attack" when she first joined the show.
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"I got over that quickly, though, and realized that I was helping them by being honest," the hitmaker told the magazine.
"Personally, I think that's the toughest part about being a judge on The X Factor. Most of them are still developing, and it's hard to tell such young kids whether they have what it takes or not, so I try to be as protective as I can with their hopes and dreams," Spears said.
Simon Cowell touched on Spears' brief time as judge. "On the first day, 100% she didn't think she was going to be able to do this. It's the Roman Colosseum – 5,000 people booing if you say no," he revealed.
