Garbage frontwoman Shirley Manson has publicly apologised to Mel C after decades-old critical remarks about the Spice Girls resurfaced on The Louis Theroux Podcast. Manson had previously said she wanted the group "tarred and feathered" and called them "abhorrent", but she now says she misjudged the impact the band had on a generation of young girls.

The comments were read out to Mel C during a 6 July episode of the podcast, alongside similar criticism from Radiohead's Thom Yorke, who once called the Spice Girls "the Antichrist". After Mel C responded graciously in an Instagram clip of the interview, Manson left an apology in the comments, saying her words were "reckless and cruel" and that she had learned empowerment "comes in many forms". Mel C accepted the apology, saying she held "no hard feelings", while the Spice Girls, who last toured together in 2019, have been linked to a possible Abba Voyage-style hologram show following comments from Victoria Beckham in May.