Mel B Reportedly Can't Afford to Live in the US Anymore and Wants to Move Daughter Madison to the UK

Mel B is planning to permanently return to the UK where work is more available for her. Her daugther's father, Stephen Belafonte says, "No way."

Mel B is at a crossroads in her career and personal life. Her US visa is expiring and she doesn’t see a lucrative future if she stayed. She thinks her best option is to head back home.

“I have not had steady income in the U.S. for over a year."

One big snag in this decision is the custody agreement she has regarding her daughter, Madison Belafonte. Though she is her primary custodian, Stephen is entitled to see her overnight every Wednesday and every other weekend in California.

In new court documents the singer filed, she’s requesting an amendment in their custody agreement to allow her to push through with her plans to move back to the UK and live in her hometown in Leeds, England with Madison.

WHY THE MOVE

According to the singer the move is in her daughter’s best interest because she can earn a better living in the UK than in the US. She cites a depletion of her income in America following the end of her stint in “America’s Got Talent” in 2018.

“All of my sources of income in the United States have been exhausted,” she admitted as reported by the Blast. She added, “I have not had steady income in the U.S. for over a year."

Mel B explained that most of her recent money is generated from stints in the UK, greatly in part due to her shows with the Spice Girls this year. As such, she thinks it’s best to move to her mother country where she could provide a better future for her daughter.

“If I were forced to stay in the United States, I would be unable to maintain the standard of living to which Madison is accustomed,” she said as she details her expenses. This includes rent for their two-bedroom apartment in Los Angeles which is over $88k and their monthly living costs as well as attorney fees. Compounded, Mel B says it’s impossible for her to live in the United States.

WHAT ABOUT STEPHEN

Mel B is aware of the implications of her decision to her daughter’s father but reasons he hardly sees their daughter. She claims Stephen only made efforts to see their eight-year-old when she began working for her Spice Girls shows.

According to the producer/director who reacted to the Daily Mail, Mel B hardly visited or called their daughter while living with him in the three months she was working with the Spice Girls.

Moreover, she reminded the court of her unhealthy marriage to Stephen from 2007 to 2017 that subjected her to verbal and sexual abuse. She likewise claimed Stephen isolated her and her daughters (including Madison) from her family in the UK.

WHAT STEPHEN SAID

Meanwhile, Stephen responded to his ex’s latest plans with a resounding “No way.” According to the producer/director who reacted to the Daily Mail, Mel B hardly visited or called their daughter while living with him in the three months she was working with the Spice Girls. He also said the singer forgot to call their daughter on her birthday or send her a gift.

He further stated that it was not in their daughter’s interest to be uprooted from the home she knows where she’s made friends and goes to school. In addition, he brought up Mel B’s alcohol and drug addiction which led her to make “questionable decisions around our children.” He stands by this information which he said was revealed to him by two of the singer’s former assistants.

“So for Madison's safety and in her best interests she needs to stay here,” Stephen concluded.

WHAT NOW

Mel B did not respond to the Daily Mail’s efforts to reach her for a comment regarding Stephen’s reactionInstead, her rep said the matter will be taken up in their custody case.

Mel B’s visa is expiring by February 2020. As such, she has been taking steps to find a new home in the UK. She’s confident she can find an apartment for $3,600 a month. She’s also hopeful that the new show she landed in the UK, “Celebrity Juice” would open doors for a more productive career.