‘America’s Got Talent’ Judge Shares Worst Part of Job

Celebrity Q&A, Featured Article
on June 18, 2013

I know “America’s Got Talent” judge Mel B. was a Spice Girl, but what else has she done?
—Anita Howard, Laredo, Texas

Melanie Brown, aka Mel B, aka Scary Spice of the Spice Girls, is an actress, author and TV personality in addition to being a singer.

Before landing her gig on “America’s Got Talent,” for two seasons she served as a judge on the Australian version of “The X-Factor,” as well as co-hosting a season of “Dancing With the Stars” Down Under. On the U.S. version of “DWTS,” she took second place in the fifth season of the competition with partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy.

Her other reality TV experience includes the Style Network reality series “Mel B: It’s a Scary World,” for which she allowed cameras to follow her around as she juggled her career and family.

Mel B, 38, who was born in Leeds, England, also counts acting among her man talents. Her movie credits include “LD 50 Lethal Dose,” “The Seat Filler” and “Telling Lies,” as well as appearing on Broadway, headlining as Mimi in “Rent” and performing in “The Vagina Monologues.”

In addition, she released her autobiography, “Catch a Fire,” in which she discusses her childhood and how she came to be a member of the Spice Girls, who famously garnered worldwide record sales of $55 million, a Guinness World Records status for “Most No. 1 Entries on the U.K. Charts” and “Most Consecutive No. 1s for a New Act.”

In 2012, the Spice Girls reunited for a performance at the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony and for the West End premiere of “Viva Forever: The Musical,” based on their songs.

The mother of three says the hardest part of being a judge on “America’s Got Talent” is having to reject children. She says, “I don’t mind saying no to a horrible act. I do mind saying no to kids, because I’m a mom and I think, ‘Why didn’t the parents tell them before they put them on this stage?’”