There have been growing rumors that Simon Cowell was having second thoughts about hiring Britney Spears as a judge on ‘X Factor.’

Inside sources supposedly informed Perez Hilton that Cowell -currently sick with bronchitis- had been diligently monitoring the show’s progress from his sickbed. And he was reportedly not happy with Britney Spears walking out of filming.

“It’s embarrassing to have an empty seat on the panel in filming sessions,” claimed one of those ‘X Factor’ insiders, “As the footage is almost totally wasted.”

According to the Perez Hilton source, “If a great singer appears, and producers want to use the audition,” then it fell upon the host and other judges to explain to viewers why Britney was absent.  ”That’s not easy,” the show insider said.

Britney Spears had twice walked off the set of ‘X Factor.’ The first time she did so was during her debut as a judge in the show’s auditions at Austin, Texas. She did not return for the last four contestants. Simon Cowell later explained that judges were allowed to take breaks in between auditions and weren’t required to immediately return.

The second walkout took place during the Kansas City auditions. And Britney Spears wasn’t alone. Demi Lovato, L.A. Reid, and Louis Walsh (substituting for the sick Simon Cowell) joined her after a rude contestant turned his back on them while singing awfully.

Spears, however, was the only ‘X Factor’ judge who didn’t return to the table after the obnoxious applicant -who was described as having a “bad attitutude”- got dismissed.

Britney Spears received a $15 million paycheck to serve as a judge on the US edition of ‘X Factor’ alongside Simon Cowell, Demi Lovato, and L.A. Reid. According to numerous reports, the pop princess was recently diagnosed with a form of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder but was unable to take medication for it, which supposedly accounts for her erratic behavior.

A sick Simon Cowell missed out on the spectacle of Britney Spears walking out on Saturday’s Kansas City auditions for ‘X Factor’- along with her fellow judges Demi Lovato, L.A. Reid, and Simon’s substitute Louis Walsh.

According to E! News, the four judges had grown increasingly disenchanted with the hopefuls from Kansas City. They finally had their fill of it when a contestant rudely refused to look at any of them during his performance.

According to E! News sources, the contestant ignored Britney Spears, Demi Lovato, L. A. Reid, and Louis Walsh by singing toward the back of the stage. The ’X Factor’  foursome gave him a taste of his own medicine (and took a leaf out of Britney’s book) by taking to their feet and walking out of his performance, which was midway into the audition.

“It was really awkward,” an audience member told People magazine about the judges’ mass walk-out. “You could tell the judges were done. I don’t think they had a choice,” the audience member added. “They didn’t want to waste their time.”

Another source described the ‘X Factor’ contestant to be “one of the worst singers and had a bad attitude.” According to this source, Britney Spears and her fellow judges “all hated it and walked off.”

E! News reported that since the offensive contestant presented his backside to the ‘X Factor’ judges, he failed to realize that the judges had already walked out on him. In fact, the contestant continued to sing long after the judges’ seats cooled.

Demi Lovato, L.A. Reid, and Louis Walsh returned to their seats to finish the auditions.  Spears, however, was prominently absent, which prompted the crowd to shout for her return.

Britney Spears had earlier received criticism for supposedly stomping off the set during her very first day as a judge on ‘X Factor.’

Hopefully, fans of ‘The X Factor’ don’t hold it against Britney Spears for walking off the set because someone ruined a song of hers.

In a recent report by TMZ, Spears walked off the set of the talent competition this Thursday evening after listening to a contestant render her song ‘Hold It Against Me.’ Several members of the audience assumed that the terrible rendition of her song upset the 30-year-old singer.

TMZ reported that Britney Spears did not immediately return to the judges’ table. So the show went on without her, with four contestants auditioning before the remaining judges -Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid, and Spears’ fellow singer Demi Lovato- and an empty seat.

A TMZ source connected to the show clarified that Spears was not upset over the song. ”[She] just took a short break,” the source claimed.

As last reported by TMZ, ‘The X Factor’ was currently on commercial break. There is no report yet that Britney Spears returned to her seat or stayed away.

Britney Spears didn’t leave ‘The X Factor’ early on her very first appearance. She apparently just needed a break.

E! News reported that a roaring crowd of 4,000 fans welcomed Spears, Demi Lovato, Simon Cowell, and L.A. Reid to the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas for her judging debut. Spears started the show strong, with the 30-year-old singer telling a teen boy that he could be bigger than Justin Bieber.

The ‘Womanizer’ singer stayed sweet and calm throughout ‘The X Factor‘ auditions, and handed out just two no’s. Spears also found something nice to say to each hopeful.  And her harshest critique didn’t blame the contestant.

“I feel like you need a new teacher to teach you how to sing,” Britney Spears advised.

“Texas has a lot of talent,” she later tweeted. “Seriously! Loving @TheXFactorUSA auditions so far,” she shared.

Fellow rookie judge Demi Lovato had even more fun. The feisty 19-year-old singer teased her ‘The X Factor’ senior Simon Cowell by calling him “grandpa.”

“OMG!!!” Lovato gushed on Twitter. “This is so much fun!”

According to E! News, 14 solo and group acts demonstrated their talents that day. After the tenth contestant, Britney Spears was escorted backstage. She did not return during the last four contestants’ turns.

E! News was informed that Spears asked to take a break. Even Demi Lovato did not bring up her absence even when someone asked “Where’s Britney?!”

Britney Spears did come back for the second leg of ‘The X Factor’ later that day. This time, she stayed for the entire three-hour shoot, and appeared to have loosened up a bit.

For one thing, she and Demi Lovato chatted a lot more. The two ladies stood up and danced along with the performing hip-hop trio. And when all four judges agreed that one rapper was one of the worst auditions of the day, Britney still offered a smile and a comment about how she liked the man’s hat.

And like Lovato, Britney Spears didn’t find Simon Cowell intimidating. “That was rude, Simon!” she scolded him after Cowell acted especially mean to one contestant.

Still, she did get booed by the audience after a critique that they disliked. L.A. Reid stepped in and playfully announced that they can’t boo Britney Spears.

Meanwhile, Demi Lovato and Cowell continued to tease each other. The ‘Skyscraper’ singer also flirted with the young male contestants. “I love a country boy,” she told a contestant who had a southern accent.

Britney Spears and her fellow judges will return to the Frank Erwin Center this Friday to tape two more Texan audition shows for ‘The X Factor.’