3 days ago
Mel B Gushes About Her Return to ‘America's Got Talent': ‘This Feels Like a Triumph'
Mel B couldn't be more excited to be back at the judges' table on America's Got Talent after a seven-year absence. 'We're pulling out all the stops,' she says of the upcoming 20th season. Her return — alongside Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel and Sofía Vergara — is an emotional one: The 49-year-old Spice Girls singer (real name: Melanie Brown) was still dealing with the fallout of a messy divorce from ex Stephen Belafonte when she stepped away in 2018, and she's done a lot of healing since then.
'In my final year on AGT, I was not in a good place,' says the mom of three (she shares Phoenix, 26, with Jimmy Gulzar, Angel, 18, with Eddie Murphy and Madison, 13, with Stephen). 'So, this feels like a triumph for me. There is hope. You can piece your life back together with the support of good people around you.' Here, she talks to Life & Style's Fortune Benatar about her wedding plans with her hairdresser fiancé Rory McPhee and the latest on a Spice Girls reunion tour.
You've said you were going through a rough time toward the end of your last stint on the show. What has your healing process been like?
MB: It has involved a lot of hard work. I had to resolve issues with my family — as I was isolated from them for so long — and be totally honest with myself and others. [Back then] AGT represented a safe place. I could put on a Mel B mask and enjoy myself.
How are you feeling now?
MB: I see this current chapter in my life as a continuation of the work I've done. You don't just recover overnight.
Tell us about your fellow panelists.
MB: I love to play pranks with Howie. Sofía has been a revelation. She's so gorgeous, but she's also incredibly warm and really, really funny. Simon and I have known each other since he turned the Spice Girls down when we tried to get him to sign us. I love reminding him of that!
You're turning 50 on May 29, 2025. Any party plans or goals for the year?
MB: My goal for the year is to be happy and to do what I love, and AGT is part of that. I've made no plans, but I think there may be a little surprise in store for me!
How has Rory changed your view on love?
MB: Rory enabled me to trust a man and believe in kindness again. It was a slow romance, because I wasn't looking for a partner. He's a family friend — the best friend of my cousin — so he's known me and my family all his life.
Tell us about your wedding.
MB: We're getting married at St. Paul's Cathedral in London, where Princess Diana was married. I'm allowed to be married there because I was awarded an MBE [Member of the Order of the British Empire] by the late Queen [Elizabeth II] for my services to survivors of abuse and abused women. We've had many meetings with the dean and the bishop and have talked about the spiritual and religious importance of marriage and why we want to be married. I can promise my wedding will be a very happy day.
