Highlights
- Don Philip's emotional audition on The X-Factor took a serious turn, revealing more than just bad singing.
- Philip accused the show of forcing him to reveal his sexuality, leading to severe emotional distress.
- Britney Spears later opened up about her discomfort as a judge on The X-Factor, ultimately deciding it wasn't for her.
Shows like American Idol and The X-Factor thrive on the comedy of unflattering auditions. Whether it's a contestant's bad singing or over-the-top fashion choices, these shows have made entertainment out of bad auditions almost as much as good ones.
However, occasionally, a bad audition comes along that has no humor in it whatsoever. Perhaps the singer isn't aware of their true singing voice. Perhaps they're not in on the joke. Perhaps the situation that plays out is more serious than what the show is used to.
When Don Philip auditioned for The X-Factor in 2012, his audition made headlines. The reason for this attention had to do with his prior connection to Britney Spears, who was a judge on the show. There was more to his audition than what was aired, however, and the drama didn't stop after he walked off the stage.
What followed put Philip in a war of words with the FOX network and leaked footage would later reveal even more.
Don Philip Sang With Britney On Her Debut Album And Left His Failed 'X-Factor' Audition In Tears
In 1999, Spears' debut album "...Baby One More Time" launched her career as a pop star. While the album featured a ton of hit singles, it was a deep cut, "I Will Still Love You," which was the focus of one particular episode of The X-Factor in 2012.
Spears sang with singer Don Philip on the track and while Philip's career never seemed to take off, he attempted to reignite that career by auditioning for the show.
Prior to his audition, he said that his duet with Spears was "the most amazing thing to my family and my life."
Philip continued, "At that time I wasn't really ready to make music. I gave it my best. Since then, I've been doing more writing and producing, really trying to find my sound. I've had a lot of 'maybes,' a ton almost. This is my final chance, no more after this."
The cameras captured Philip's nerves as he awaited the opportunity to take the stage and reunite with his former singing partner.
"I don't know what the heck I'm going to say, it's scary. I hope she likes me," Philip said. "I want her to know I appreciate her and everything she did for me. [But] I'm tired of hearing, 'Don Philip, the guy that did the duet with Britney,' I want to be 'Don Philip!'"
When Philip took the stage, Spears immediately recognized him and told Simon Cowell about recording a song with him years ago. Philip then began singing Beyoncé's "Halo," but it was a very shaky rendition. Based on the reactions of Spears, the audience, and her fellow judges, it didn't look good for Philip.
Cowell then spoke up and said, "I just have to give you the honest truth, the problem that you have is that you don't have a good singing voice."
Phillip then wanted to hear from Spears, who also decided to be honest with Philip.
"I feel like through the years, maybe you’ve gone through a lot of hardship and battles," she began, "but your voice really isn’t up to the bar of the standards of The X Factor and what we want."
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Cameras then cut to Philip walking off the stage and breaking down afterward.
"Did you see Britney's eyes?" Philip said, crying. "I saw her face and feel I've hurt her."
Cowell can then be heard approaching Spears to ask if she was okay. Spears responded, "That was hard... because I know what they’ve been through."
Philip was apologizing to Spears backstage, saying, "I'm so sorry Britney."
Don Later Accused 'The X-Factor' Of Bullying Him Into Revealing His Sexuality During His Audition
Following the airing of Philip's audition, it seemed like he was just extremely upset at disappointing Spears with his less-than-stellar singing voice. However, Philip revealed to Access Hollywood that there was actually more to the story.
According to Philip, The X-Factor audition that aired cut out around ten minutes of footage where he revealed he's gay.
"It was kind of a private thing they forced out of me," Philip said. "I would say bullied out of me."
Philip told The New York Post that he was emotionally distraught after his audition.
"After that thing, I went home and had thoughts of (suicide). I was so destroyed that they set me up," he told the outlet.
- Philip also claimed that he didn't want to talk about his sexuality on the show:
- "Backstage, I’d talked to the producers about what my secret was. And I mentioned that my secret was I was gay, but I really didn’t want to talk about it on the show. So, minutes later, when I got on stage, L.A. Reid said, ‘What’s the secret? What’s the secret?’ over and over again. And I had to say it," Philip explained. "I just felt like they were going to say it, so I felt like I needed to say it first. And, I was just so emotionally distraught, I couldn’t pull it together to actually sing."
FOX, the network which aired The X-Factor , released a statement following Philip's allegations.
"The judges were not given any information at all about Mr. Philip prior to his audition. The personal information that Mr. Philip quickly volunteered at the start of his audition was a surprise to the judges, who asked what had happened during the past 10 years, as they were interested in Mr. Philip’s career."
"While we understand his decision to discuss his personal life, Mr. Philip’s sexual orientation was not something that any of the judges or producers felt was relevant to this audition," the statement read. "When advertising and promoting open auditions, thousands of people are informed about the ways to enter the show. Mr. Philip himself chose to enter for a chance to win a five million dollar recording contract."
Years later, Philip's full audition leaked online. The unedited version showed Philip visibly nervous at the start and stuttering while attempting to answer the judges' questions. It also confirms Philip's account of his exchange with L.A. Reid.
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Philip also revealed during his audition that he heard a rumor Spears knew of his sexuality and didn't accept it. He said this made him even more scared to come out. When he said this, Spears said, "I think it's fine that you're gay."
However, Philip was chastised by the judges for making Spears "uncomfortable" and Cowell told him that what he said was "inappropriate." This could further explain his emotional breakdown afterward.
Britney Revealed Why She Didn't Like Being An 'X-Factor' Judge In Her Memoir
After the end of the 2012 season, it was announced that Spears wouldn't be returning to the show. 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."
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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.
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