Britney Debuts as “X-Factor” Judge

“You could be bigger than the next Justin Bieber,” the pop star told one contestant

"X Factor" got a serious injection of star power Thursday when new judge Britney Spears made her big debut, to massive applause.

She garnered more cheers than any other judge – even more than the talent show’s guru Simon Cowell – when she stepped out in front of the 4,000 people on set for the audition taping, Rolling Stone reported.

Spears kept her commentary mostly positive for the “X-Factor” hopefuls. She said “yes” to many of the contestants and even offered one young man inspiring words after his performance.

“You could be bigger than the next Justin Bieber,” Spears said. “You were flawless.”

When it came to criticisms, Spears didn’t dish many to the Austin, Texas, contestants. If a performance were subpar, she politely passed.

The 30-year-old superstar insisted she was having a grand old time on the show — despite a report by TMZ that she had stormed off mid-audition in disgust for a performance of one of her songs.

According to TMZ, she was displeased with a contestant's rendition of her hit "Hold It Against Me" and was gone for four auditions, but Spears said she was just “taking a break.”

“#Britneywalksoff??? LOL was just taking a little break people. I am having the BEST time!!!,” she tweeted.  

Throughout the day, Spears continued to tweet her excitement about being on the judging panel. “Texas has a lot of talent – seriously! Loving @TheXFactorUSA audition so far…,” she wrote.

Spears wasn’t the only one making news at the first day of auditions. Fellow newcomer judge Demi Lovato reportedly clashed with returning judges L.A. Reid and Simon Cowell over some performances, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“Day 1 @TheXFactorUSA and I have already been cut to shreds by @ddlovato,” Reid tweeted. “Let the games begin!”

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