Fans of the Spice Girls are speculating that Geri Halliwell may have blocked Mel B, citing a lack of tagging in Halliwell's Instagram post celebrating the 30th anniversary of the group's debut single, "Wannabe." The milestone was marked on Wednesday, with Halliwell sharing a tribute to her "beautiful spice sisters" and emphasizing that "friendship never ends." However, eagle-eyed fans noted that while bandmates Victoria Beckham, Mel C, and Emma Bunton were tagged, Mel B was conspicuously absent from the tags, leading to theories that Halliwell had blocked her.
Further fueling this speculation, it has been observed that the bandmates no longer appear in each other's social media 'following' lists. Fans quickly responded to Halliwell's post by tagging Mel B and urging the pair to reconcile and embark on a tour.
Mel B also shared her own tribute for the anniversary, posting a group photo with Geri included and the caption "Zigazig ahhhh Yipppeeee." Mel C followed with a post tagging all band members, celebrating "30 years of girl power! Happy Birthday Wannabe I love you. The song that changed our lives forever."
Lingering Tensions and Past Feuds
Mel C, in a recent interview on the Louis Theroux podcast, referred to Mel B and Geri Halliwell as the "leaders" of the band and commented on their often tense relationship. She noted that while they could be "really great mates," any fallout "would affect everybody," attributing this to their "outspoken" personalities.
The roots of the feud are said to trace back to the 1990s at the height of the band's fame. Geri Halliwell announced her departure from the group in May 1998, less than two years after "Wannabe" topped the charts, and in the midst of their world tour. This decision, made just before concerts in the U.S. and particularly on Mel B's birthday, reportedly caused significant hurt.
Mel B, known as Scary Spice, has spoken about the impact of Halliwell's departure. In a past TV interview, she stated, "When Geri left the group, it was bad. She left on my birthday and didn't tell anybody. She didn't show up. We had the American part of the tour to continue." Mel B's ex-husband, Jimmy Gulzar, had previously commented that Scary Spice was deeply hurt because she and Halliwell were "really, really close."
More recently, in 2019, Mel B recounted on Piers Morgan's "Life Stories" that she and Geri had a lesbian encounter during the band's 1990s heyday. Sources close to Halliwell reportedly described her as "livid" at the time, and she issued a statement denying Mel B's account. Mel B faced criticism for allegedly using "lesbianism as a PR strategy" ahead of a reunion tour, and she later appeared to backtrack on her story.
Reports have also surfaced of disagreements over Halliwell's perceived "la-di-da" image, which Mel B has found irksome. Further tension arose when Mel B questioned Halliwell's age, first by suggesting she didn't believe Halliwell had just turned 50, and then by posting an unflattering photo on Halliwell's 52nd birthday with the caption, "Happy 75th Birthday."
Despite these ongoing tensions, the band reunited for Victoria Beckham's 50th birthday celebration in 2024. However, sources claimed that Geri and Mel B experienced friction even during this event. Halliwell was also reportedly responsible for shelving plans for a new Spice Girls tour due to the rift with Mel B, despite discussions about a new run of dates and even Victoria Beckham's potential cameo appearance.
Mel B's 50th birthday party in May 2025 saw absences from both Geri Halliwell and Victoria Beckham. Additionally, at Mel B's wedding to Rory McPhee in July, Emma Bunton was the only Spice Girl in attendance, while Victoria and Mel C offered apologies, and Geri Halliwell remained silent on the matter.