What is Mel B's net worth? 'AGT Fantasy League' judge makes a comeback after teetering on the brink of bankruptcy

Married to Stephen Belafonte from 2007 to 2011, Mel B accused him of abuse, while he claimed she overspent, depleting $50M or more of her fortune
PUBLISHED JAN 1, 2024
By the end of 2020, Mel B faced bankruptcy with a net income of negative $3.2 million after legal expenses due to divorce (Getty Images)
By the end of 2020, Mel B faced bankruptcy with a net income of negative $3.2 million after legal expenses due to divorce (Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Mel B, judge of 'America's Got Talent: Fantasy League', currently boasts a net worth of $6 million, as per Celebrity Networth.

Despite her present financial stability, the star faced a precarious financial situation in 2020, teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.

Married to Stephen Belafonte in June 2007 and divorced in 2011, Mel B accused him of emotional and physical abuse, while he countered with allegations of her overspending, claiming she had depleted $50 million or more of her fortune.

Amid their tumultuous divorce battle in July 2017, a judge mandated Mel B to pay Stephen Belafonte $40,000 monthly in spousal support. This period saw Mel B losing half of her peak career earnings.

Legal documents filed in July 2018 revealed her main checking account had dwindled to $1,300. By the end of 2020, Mel B faced bankruptcy with a net income of negative $3.2 million after legal expenses.

'America's Got Talent: Fantasy League' is scheduled to premiere on January 1, 2024, at 8 pm ET on NBC.

Mel B spent almost over $40,000/month while she was fighting for divorce (Instagram/@officialmelb)
Mel B spent almost over $40,000/month while she was fighting for divorce (Instagram/@officialmelb)

'America's Got Talent: Fantasy League' judge Mel B's early life

Mel B or Melanie Brown was born on M

ay 29, 1975, in Leeds, England. Before entering the media world, she studied performing arts at Intake High School in Leeds. She started her career as a dancer and later turned towards a singing career and joined a band called Touch.

After that, she joined the 'Spice Girls' which included Victoria Beckham, Emma Bunton, Geri Halliwell, and Melanie Chisholm. They made their breakthrough with their debut single 'Wannabe' in 1996 which was a hit in over 30 countries. 

Mel B was born in Leeds, England (Instagram/@officialmelb)
Mel B was born in Leeds, England (Instagram/@officialmelb)

'America's Got Talent: Fantasy League' judge Mel B's musical and television career

Mel B became a part of the Spice Girls in 1994 and sold more than 55 million albums worldwide. 'Hot' was her first solo album released on October 9, 2000, which entered the UK charts. 

After releasing a few singles, she parted with Virginia Records and started a successful career as a TV presenter and actress. In 2001, she had her show 'This is my moment', which was a great success. She then made a second documentary series about African voodoos.

In 2002, she was one of the protagonists of the BBC sitcom 'Burn It'. She also did a few films by then such as 'LD 50 Lethal Dose' (2003) and 'The Seat Filler' in 2004. 

Mel B is known worldwide as the 'Scary Spice' of the 'Spice Girls' group. As a part of this band, Mel B became a household name. 

Mel B shinned both as an actress and television personality. She is also the author of her best-selling autobiography 'Catch A Fire' which was released in 2002. This book contains her insights and experiences, both as a 'Spice Girls' member and her own life. 

Mel B is currently one of the four judges of NBC's 'America's Got Talent'. She also held judging spots on 'The X Factor' UK and Australia.

Mel B performing with the 'Spice Girls' (Instagarm/@officialmelb)
Mel B performing with the 'Spice Girls' (Instagarm/@officialmelb)

How much money does 'America's Got Talent: Fantasy League' judge Mel B make?

Currently, Mel B makes the majority of money from the music business. She was a part of the 'Spice Girls' group and thus has a certain share percentage of it.

Her income also comes from television as she is currently a judge in the 'America's Got Talent' franchise. 

Mel B struggled and worked hard after 2020 to regain the financial losses that she made during the divorce (Instagram/@officialmelb)
Mel B struggled and worked hard after 2020 to regain the financial losses that she made during the divorce (Instagram/@officialmelb)

Mel B's financial struggles and how she overcame after a messy divorce

Even though Mel B was a millionaire at the time, her divorce and bad business investment led to her losing all of it. 

She had to pay more than $40,000, a month for spousal support to her ex-husband Stephen Belafonte. Even though in a petition she showed she has less than $1300 in her account, the judge ordered Mel and Stephen to vacate and sell their $6.5 million Hollywood mansion.

In July 2018, she filed legal documents that showed she paid $422,000 to Stephen and her income was negative $3.2 million after legal expenses. 

Mel B faced IRS trouble of around 2.5 million in 2018. Mel B's financial success story is proof that no matter how hard you fail, you can succeed. 

Currently, her net worth is around $6 million, stating that she made the money back that she lost during the messy divorce battle.

She also made a fortune as she agreed to get paid in Bitcoin during the 'Spice Girls' reunion tour. She partnered with Cloud Hashing to accept cryptocurrency for her single too.

It seems like Mel B has finally started to take her financial goals seriously.

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