Crazy, embarrassing, sad – but funny: how I finally embraced my X Factor humiliation | Emily Wilson

I spent 10 years burying the shame of being a failed contestant on the US version of the show. Then a 15-year-old helped me see it differently

My name is Emily, I'm a standup comedian and when I was 15, I was on The X Factor US. But if you'd told me back then that I'd be willingly telling you that, let alone regaling audiences - while touring a show - about the experience, I'd tell you that you were in the wrong multiverse, dumbass! Couldn't be me!

I auditioned for The X Factor with my best friend, Austin, in 2011. We went in with full confidence that we not only had the raw talent for stardom, but also the branding: who wouldn't love a pubescent boy-girl duet with a name as brilliantly punny as AusEm?

Emily Wilson is a comedian. She performs Fixed at London's Soho Theatre from 13 to 18 March 2023. Book tickets here