Britney Spears’ “I Will Still Love You” Duet Partner Comes Out To Her On ‘The X Factor’

X. Alexander | June 18, 2012 2:46 pm

When you’ve worked in the music industry since you were a kid, you’re bound to run across a few familiar faces who didn’t quite have the good luck Britney Spears did in becoming a teen idol, and now, a full-fledged pop icon. Singing competitions love trotting out blasts from the judges’ pasts, and Brit was the latest target of such a stunt when she came face-to-face with Don Phillips, who was featured on the …Baby One More Time track “I Will Still Love You.”

It turns out the ever-lasting love professed by Britney and Don on the track was never in the cards, since Don took the opportunity of an X Factor audition in San Francisco to tell Britney that he’s gay. “At the time I didn’t think I was worthy,” he said, according to People. “I didn’t think you thought it was okay that I am gay.”

“I think it’s fine that you are gay,” Britney replied. But the reunion didn’t end on too happy a note — Phillips’ audition apparently left something to be desired, and Britney had to critique him and tell him he wasn’t right for The X Factor. (A decade after appearing on a monstrously successful Britney Spears album, the guy is rejected by her on a TV singing competition? Yikes! Brutal.)

The silver lining to this story, at least, is that it does make Britney seem all the more capable of competently serving as a judge. According to the source: “It was probably the most personal and emotional situation for her that’s happened so far on X Factor, and she took it totally in stride in front of a live audience of thousands.”

 (Image via Getty.)