To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web
browser that
supports HTML5
video
Anyone who knows Mel B is aware that the Spice Girls icon has a brilliantly dry and straightforward sense of humour, and always has done.
However, following an appearance by the singer on Jimmy Fallon’s US talkshow, it’s clear that some people across the pond simply don’t get her light-hearted wisecracks.
During the episode – which saw Mel express her pride for her MBE to honour her work raising awareness of domestic violence – she revealed that her 24-year-old daughter once raided her wardrobe and took some iconic Spice Girls outfits.
The 48-year-old musician was not at all happy by this discovery, telling Jimmy, 49: ‘I was so p**sed at this. I was so annoyed.’
‘My daughter’s 24, so she used to live with me, but now she’s 24. I kind of kicked her out, go make your own living, yada yada yada, like you do as a parent,’ she explained.
‘So I’m looking on Instagram and she sends me through this flurry of pictures, like, “Mum, do you like this? Do you like that?”’
Mel explained the situation to Jimmy while on his US talk show (Picture: NBC)
The Spice Girls wore plenty of iconic outfits over the years (Picture: John Ferguson/Mirrorpix/Getty Images)
Phoenix shared a behind-the-scenes video about the making of her photoshoot (Picture: TikTok/@phoenixisphoenix)
After putting on her glasses so she could see the photos in question better, Mel realised that her daughter Phoenix had taken several memorable pieces of clothing that she’d worn in her Scary Spice days and recreated her looks, posting the images on the social media platform.
‘I’m like, “That looks a bit like me.” And she’s got all my bloody outfits on! The b***h stole my look and went into my wardrobe’ she exclaimed, as Jimmy, 49, laughed.
‘I’m like, “You’d better bring all that stuff back right now, ‘cause they’re my clothes.’
Jimmy remarked that Phoenix was the ‘spitting image’ of her mother, while the audience in the TV studio cheered and clapped.
Mel quipped that she thought that she ‘wore it better’ when the photos of herself and her daughter wearing a black mini skort, leopard-print bustier and collar necklace – inspired by the 1997 music video for Spice Girls’ Say You’ll Be There – were placed side-by-side.
The mother-daughter duo seen at the premiere of Cirque du Soleil’s Luzia at the Royal Albert Hall in January 2022 (Picture: Karwai Tang/WireImage)
She then explained how the pop group were a ‘homegrown brand’, and so they had to be innovative when coming up with their own choreography and dressing themselves on a budget.
While Phoenix might have angered her mum by taking her clothes without permission, she did tell Mel how ‘cool’ she thinks she is now, as vintage 90s fashion is back on trend.
When the clip of Mel speaking about Phoenix’s photoshoots was posted on Instagram, some viewers expressed shock over the way that she spoke about ‘kicking her daughter out’ and calling her a ‘b***h’.
However, others pointed out that her comments were clearly said in a jokey way and is an example of quintessential ‘British humour’.
Each of the Spice Girls had their own unique style (Picture: Vinnie Zuffante/Getty Images)
‘Not too funny when she called her daughter a b***h!’ one person called Dee Dee wrote on Instagram, while another said: ‘How is being 24 years old a good reason to “kick out” your kid.’
But others were quick to jump to Mel’s defence, telling the naysayers to ‘get a grip’.
‘Relax everyone it’s just British humour, it’s how we talk about our kids! We don’t actually kick them out it’s a joke, it’s because we don’t like that they’ve flown the best so we joke “we kicked them out”,’ a commenter named Leanne explained.
‘She’s from Leeds, and as for the swearing, she’s from Leeds (north) up north we only communicate in swearing.’
Someone else wrote: ‘Relax people, regardless of what words she used, she’s clearly happy with her daughter.’
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon airs on NBC in the US.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
MORE : Emma Bunton ‘broke many bones’ suffering through iconic Spice Girls look
MORE : Spice Girls reunion likely as movie ‘in the works’ 26 years after smash hit Spice World
MORE : Spice Girls’ Geri Halliwell-Horner tackles rumours of Glastonbury 2024 reunion
Fans defended the star, telling critics to ‘get a grip’.