Simon Cowell Missed A Major Opportunity To Work With The Spice Girls

While Simon Cowell has listed losing the Spice Girls as his biggest career regret, the bandmates remember the situation differently. “Posh Spice” Victoria Beckham put Cowell on blast during an episode of “America’s Got Talent,” where she joined the panel as a guest judge. Beckham revealed: “He is the only man in the music industry who turned down the Spice Girls — and said we would never work. I like that fact,” (per Daily Mail).

“Scary Spice” Mel B, who also judged alongside Cowell on “The X Factor,” recalled how they failed to capture his interest. The determined girl group approached Cowell in a parking lot as he was leaving work, and had an impromptu audition. “[We] said, ‘Look, we’re going to be famous one day, can you sign us?’” Mel B told “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” (via The Sun). “And he said ‘No, it’s not going to work.’”

Cowell is notoriously known for being hard to please as a judge on “American Idol,” “The X Factor,” and “Britain’s Got Talent.” While his unfiltered criticism and straightforward personality can be too much for some contestants, Cowell certainly knows what it takes to be a star.