Divorce is complicated. It might be the best marital decision that some people will make in their entire lives, but it’s also massively stressful.
Oh … and it can be an incredibly expensive process.
Mel B is getting divorced, and it looks like she’s trying to recoup her expenses … by demanding a $ 400,000 raise at America’s Got Talent.
Mel B’s divorce from Stephen Belafonte has been a long time coming.
Back in 2014, fans noticed signs of abuse on Mel B.
At the time, she was very defensive of her husband. As the world is all too aware, this is a common response from people who are being abused.
However, since Mel B and Stephen Belafonte announced their divorce in March of 2017, the TV personality and Spice Girl has come forward.
Mel B now alleges that Stephen Belafonte abused her during their marriage, and even blackmailed her with a sex tape.
(In fact, Mel B says that she can prove that the blackmail tapes exist)
Further details came out, including allegations that Stephen Belafonte brought the couple’s nanny into their relationship … for seven years.
There’s a whole lot to that, including conflicting accounts of what was going on with the nanny.
We’re just glad that Mel B is getting out of that toxic marriage.
But, like we said, as wonderful as divorce can be in terms of being a step towards improving a person’s life, it can also be super expensive.
There’s more to it than dividing assets and paying lawyers, by the way.
Reportedly, Mel B is reluctant to pay Stephen Belafonte spousal support.
Stephen Belafonte — who has a job of his own, by the way — was apparently asking for $ 4,300 per month to spend on basic necessities.
$ 4,300 a month would be a normal amount for, say, a person’s salary.
Whose grocery bills look like that, though?
We’d say that the average person probably spends less than $ 1000 per month on groceries, right? Even if you’re ordering delivery for most of your meals, you’re not going to rack up $ 4,300 in a single month.
And we did the math — if he’s spending $ 4,300 a month on groceries, he’s spending upwards of $ 140 per day.
Maybe Stephen Belafonte is three-to-four grown men in a trench coat?
Point is, every bit of this — Belafonte’s demands, Mel B fighting them in court, and the division of their shared property — amounts to a lot of expenses, even for a rich person.
It’s worth noting that Stephen Belafonte is accused of having blown through $ 30 million of Mel B’s fortune while controlling all of her financial decisions and assets during their marriage.
According to The Sunday People, which is a British tabloid newspaper and only sounds like the name of a horror film, Mel B is demanding a raise at America’s Got Talent.
America’s Got Talent is a talent competition that, based upon its title, is designed to frustrate people who are enthusiastic about the English language.
(Why not simply America HAS Talent? It’s so much simpler and doesn’t make anyone’s eye twitch)
Back in 2013, Mel B joined the panel of judges during the show’s eighth season. (Yeah, these shows go on forever)
Well, Mel B’s reported request for a raise is to the tune of $ 400,000, which would bring her total salary to $ 2.2 million.
According to The Sunday People‘s source, “Mel feels that she is in a very strong position to wrangle a pay rise from Simon.”
(Simon being Simon Cowell, who runs things as well as judging. And “pay rise” is just British nonsense for a pay raise)
“She was an integral part of the show’s success, with so much being written about her life and then talked about after the broadcasts.”
That sounds fairly accurate.
“Not only did her talent pick win the series, but she and Simon dominated the show’s dramatic moments.”
That is also true. (You might remember Mel B’s on-air spat with Simon Cowell from back in August)
Honestly?
If the show can afford it, that doesn’t sound unreasonable.
Sure, most of us can’t demand a $ 400,000 raise without getting laughed out of the office.
But Mel B is a Spice Girl, dang it. It’s kind of shocking that she’s making as little per year as she is.
Look at it this way — Katy Perry is getting paid $ 25 million a year for being a judge on the American Idol revival that no one wanted or asked for.
What Mel B, who is actually likable and part of one of the most iconic music groups of all time, is asking for is less than a tenth of that.
And, unlike Katy Perry, Mel B actually knows how to be an entertaining judge without being a total flop.
Pay up, Simon Cowell.
