Britney Spears Went Silent After An X-Factor Contestant Accused Demi Lovato Of Using Auto-Tune

Summary

• Judges on reality singing competitions must balance honesty with kindness during auditions.
• Shawn Armenta's X-Factor audition focused on his attitude towards judges, not his performance.
• Britney Spears didn't enjoy being an X-Factor judge, preferring shorter TV appearances.

When celebrities take a job judging a reality singing competition, many are curious about what side of the celebrity they're going to see. Are they going to be nice and say something positive about every contestant? Or will they be honest and unafraid to appear mean in the process?

When 50-year-old singer and rapper Shawn Armenta auditioned for the American version of The X-Factor in 2012, his audition went viral. However, very few focused on his performance. His attitude and demeanor toward judges Simon Cowell, Britney Spears, Demi Lovato, and L.A. Reid was the main focus of attention.

Surprisingly, Spears and Lovato showed that they were more than willing to be honest with Armenta during his audition.

A Contestant Insulted Britney And Demi After They Turned Him Down At His Audition

During the 2012 season of The X-Factor, contestant Shawn Armenta raised eyebrows with his audition. He arrived on the stage and performed his own song "Candy Girl." However, the audience and judges weren't impressed.

Cowell began the judging by telling Armenta he was "like a mouse trying to be an elephant."

When Armenta insisted he wasn't a bad singer and worked very hard to achieve his dreams, Lovato cut him off and said, "A lot of people work really, really hard for their dreams, but it's not meant for everybody."

Armenta immediately responded with, "That's why you use autotune and I don't."

Then, Spears said to Armenta, "I want to know who let you on stage. I feel uncomfortable with you even staring at me."

"You know what? I don't need this either, because I don't need ameatur hour," Armenta exclaimed before leaving the stage.

Aremnta later explained his side of the story during an interview with Oh No They Didn't! where he claimed Spears' reaction was to his song and not his dig at Lovato.

"She was mad at me because I sang my song 'Candy Girl' and I introduced it as a song about picking up cute girls in a bar," he began. "And she got offended that I was singing this to kids in the audience and the 'it's degrading to women' type of thing. So she took this whole attitude that I was creepy. So I told her, 'Britney, I'm working the camera here.' And I told her to stop copying me."

Armenta then elaborated on what he meant.

"She's watched my videos before," he said. "I'm afraid to divulge certain things because I don't know if I should yet."

Armenta also explained his views on the way his audition was edited for television.

"They edited it to fit their needs for controversy," Armenta said. "They didn't show any of the applause after I was done. What actually happened was that I shut them down for three to five minutes, because they were getting booed. The panel was getting booed. And they couldn't show that on television. But it's all good, it's television. It's done for entertainment and fun and ratings."

• Armenta then explained that Lovato's remark came after an unaired critique by L.A. Reid"
• "I was mad at what L.A. Reid said to me and Demi Lovato got in the middle of it. I work for the airline, I'm a ramper—I load bags. He basically told me I'm a lowlife and all I'll ever be is a lowlife and that I have no business being here. He said I could go back to my lowlife job where I belong. So I got really mad like, 'Who the heck are you? Babyface gave you your job,'" he said.
• Armenta continued, "That's when Demi Lovato butted in. I've been in the business doing this kind of thing for 30 years. I play every instrument. Demi was just in the way and that insult came off my head subconsciously. It was really toward L.A., but she butted in. And she doesn't have the experience I have working New York comedy clubs and performing. I've had 48 songs on iTunes [under various names Shawn Armenta, Freddy Krewger and Dude Offline]."

He also revealed why he was upset that he didn't go further in the competition.

"I was mad I didn't go further because I spent a lot of time on my routine," Armenta said. "I was angry because I thought I'd go much further than that. I mentioned that to them. You're trying to make someone your star who says, 'I'm 16 years old, I've wanted this my whole life!' How would these kids know? They've had a few minutes doing this, and here you got someone like me who has been doing this for 40 years, and has given everything up. That is their life. They [teenagers] do not know what their lives are. I know what mine is."

Demi Previously Spoke Positively About Her Experience On 'The X-Factor'

After the 2012 season of The X-Factor, it was announced that Spears wouldn't be returning for another season. Lovato, however, remained on the judges table alongside new judges Kelly Rowland and Paulina Rubio.

In 2013, Lovato spoke to Showbiz Junkies about the upcoming season of the show. She was asked about her natural chemistry with Cowell.

• "I’m not really sure. Last year, I came into this experience with nobody tells him, ‘No.’ And also, you know, I’m just sticking up for my country," Lovato said with a laugh. "He’s been in our country so many years telling Americans what they’re doing wrong and making fun of them. So, I’m just doing my part as a citizen, anyway."
• She continued, "But I also felt like, I guess, being 19 last year I had a naive sense of confidence. I wasn’t intimidated by him as people normally would be. And then this year, I’d done it all last year. We have such a great friendship now that it’s just that’s how we are with each other. This year, I’m not the only one that does that – and that’s what makes this season, I believe, stand out more. Because he’s up against three women that will absolutely do the same thing, so the way I like to put it is last year the banter between me and Simon times three."

The group who ended up winning The X-Factor the previous season was Fifth Harmony. When asked about their success, Lovato had high prasie.

"I want to say, with Fifth Harmony, when I watched their music video for ‘Miss Movin’ On,’ Simon actually showed it to me…well…all of us," she began. "Because we get so involved, we put our everything into these contestants, I actually watched it and cried because I sat there and I had the chills. I thought, ‘Wow,’ even though this wasn’t my category and I didn’t… Well, we all collectively, kind of, put them together. I still felt like I was a part of it and they are going to be [big], mark my words. Put it in ink so huge because, individually, each one of them is ridiculously talented."

Lovato then spoke about working on an album and going on tour during The X-Factor, but said the show was "actually more fulfilling to me at the moment, because when you see the look in the contestants’ eyes, you see their dreams, and we are providing them with the opportunity to achieve their dreams."

"That’s what’s amazing about this show is some shows may say that it’s not about creating a pop star, but we want to help these people break out in the industry, whether they win or not," Lovato said. "And it’s been truly incredible to help, along with the rest of this panel and the entire show, fulfill dreams and be a part of that journey. I can’t tell you how incredible it is. And then not only that, but when I tell you that when [Paulina] says that we’ve bonded, that’s almost an understatement, because this is my family up here and these are my sisters."

Lovato then explained how her experience as a judge changed the way she approached her own live performances.

"I believe I’m the youngest judge on any of these shows and that’s a lot of pressure to live up to," she began. "So when you are recording an album, or you are touring or performing, not only do you have your fans looking at you, just hoping that you are making good music and performing, you are doing that for your fans, but then you have their parents now watching you, saying, ‘Okay. Is she worthy of being a judge on the stage?’"

"So every single time I go on stage, or I’m recording an album, anything, I’m constantly thinking about not just the younger demographic, but the demographic that our show reaches out to all over the United States. And then, of course, fans in other countries look it up on YouTube or whatever they find it from."

Britney Revealed Why She Didn't Like Being An 'X-Factor' Judge In Her Memoir

In her 2023 memoir, "The Woman In Me," Spears opened up about her time on The X-Factor and why she left the show after one season.

She wrote, "Feeling like I needed more direction, I decided to go back to work. I tried to occupy myself by being productive. I began appearing on more TV shows – including, in 2012, as a judge on The X Factor."

Spears went on to praise her contemporaries like Christina Aguilera and Gwen Stefani, who had judging stints on The Voice. However, while Spears believed they were natural judges, she revealed she didn't think it was the right thing for her.

"I think a lot of people are really professional on TV, like Christina Aguilera and Gwen Stefani," Spears wrote. "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 again, I feel like I age backwards when I‘m afraid. And so 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."

Spears then said that she believes she would be better suited for a "fun TV show where I’m in and out in a day."

She added, "Maybe I’m just not cut out for that anymore. I’ve accepted that now and it’s okay. I can tell people who try to push me in that direction no. I’ve been forced into things I didn’t want to do and been humiliated. It’s not my thing at this point."

Spears said that she didn't like having to "act skeptical for eight straight hours while judging on TV."

"Uh, no thank you. I absolutely hated it," she concluded.