A little spicy. Melanie “Mel C” Chisholm threw shade at former bandmate Victoria Beckham while appearing as a guest judge on Drag Race UK vs The World.
Sporty Spice, 48, was critiquing drag queen Baga Chipz when she noted the similarity to the Spice Girls‘ music. “Baga, I think you completely embody the humor of British drag and I love that,” Chisolm said on the episode, which aired on Wednesday, February 2. “You are giving me lots of Spice Girl inspiration tonight.”
The singer continued: “You lip-syncedbadly, but when you were performing, I was like, ‘There’s a resemblance [to] Posh Spice!’ But you know what? Your vocals are much better!”
While the comment was likely a reference to Baga Chipz’ catchphrase, “Much Betta,” Chisolm’s dig at the fashion designer, 47, left many fans in shock. “Mel C came for Victoria Beckham hard and they kept it in the edit?” one fan wrote on Twitter. Another social media user praised the singer’s appearance on Drag Race, writing, “Mel C was a great guest judge. Funny and playfully shady towards Victoria and Geri [Halliwell].”
Despite her comments about Beckham’s vocal ability, Chisholm previously defended the makeup mogul when she opted out of the Spice Girls’ 2019 reunion tour. “I’m sure, Victoria wouldn’t mind me saying, the Olympics [Closing Ceremony performance] was hard for her [in 2012],” the “Here it Comes Again” singer confessed on a March 2019 appearance on the “Out For Lunch” podcast. “You know, she’s moved on, her life has changed, and she just doesn’t have that love of performing, and in fact, it completely petrifies her.”
Adding that Beckham is also “extremely busy and successful in what she’s doing,” Chisolm said that neither she nor the other Spice Girls have any resentment toward their former bandmate.
“We’re all very sensitive of that, and we completely understand,” she said at the time. “We’re all sad that Victoria won’t be joining us, but it’s all genuinely very supportive you know, obviously understand and support her.”
In July 2020, however, the Dancing With the Stars alum revealed that there is one thing that could possibly entice Beckham back to the stage. “We talk about [another reunion tour] all the time,” she told journalist Ranvir Singh. “Between you and I, I know Mrs. Beckham would love to do Glastonbury,” Chisholm teased, referring to the annual music festival held in Somerset, England.
Whether or not Posh Spice rejoins the group, Chisholm is determined to bring girl power back to the world in the future. “[Another tour has] been rumored a lot, but we do constantly talk about getting back on stage because the shows in 2019 were incredible. We’d love to do it again once the world allows and we can do it safely,” she told Singh.