Mel B’s daughter, Phoenix Brown, moved out last year to live with her boyfriend. The 25-year-old DJ has now revealed that she left to avoid seeing her famous mother in her underwear.
The Spice Girl and her daughter will appear together on Romesh Ranganathan’s TV show, Parents Evening, airing on ITV on Saturday, as reported by Daily Mail. It was on the show that Phoenix candidly confessed why she moved out of her famous mother’s home.
The conversation shifted to underwear when fellow guest Richard Madeley admitted he no longer wears boxers due to discomfort. Richard said: “In my early thirties, I found boxers, budgie smugglers and all of that, just chafe – so I got rid of them, and I’ve never looked back.”
Mel B agreed with the presenter, as she said: “In general, I like things to feel free.”
Her embarrassed daughter Phoenix then confirmed: “She does, and that’s why I moved out.”
Phoenix revealed she was bullied growing up and found life as the daughter of a Spice Girl more challenging than people might think.
Despite having a famous mother, she struggled to make friends and was not popular in school. However, Phoenix has since developed a successful career, partly thanks to her status as Mel B’s daughter.
In an exclusive interview with The Mirror, she explained that having celebrity parents made school difficult, as she couldn’t bring her mother to parents’ evenings or events.
Phoenix revealed that the bullying at her U.S. school became so severe that students formed a “We hate Phoenix club.” Despite these challenges, she developed a thicker skin as she got older. She believes she was also targeted because of her race.
She said: “I was a colored girl, I had big hair, I was loud. Some kids just don’t like that and I was bullied all throughout schooling. It sucked.”
Phoenix explained that those difficult experiences helped shape her.
She is Mel B’s firstborn, from Mel’s brief marriage to Dutch back-up dancer Jimmy Gulzar. Mel B also has two other daughters: Angel Murphy Brown, 17, with Eddie Murphy, and Madison Brown Belafonte, 11, with Stephen Belafonte.
Mel B, originally from Leeds, has described Phoenix, who grew up in the U.S., as “very wise.”
Phoenix and her mother, Mel B, share a close bond, with Phoenix often dressing up as her mother during her Scary Spice days.
In her new Channel 4 documentary, Born In The Limelight: Nepo Babies UNTOLD, Phoenix noted that being the daughter of a famous person has significantly benefited her, helping her pursue her dream of becoming a DJ.