A clip of Mel B calling out former X Factor co-judge Louis Walsh for groping her on live TV has resurfaced, having gone viral after being shared on Reddit and other social media sites:
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In the footage, taken from an interview back in 2014, you can see Louis holding Mel's bottom and patting it.
As the discussion continues, Mel seems to try and ignore it - presumably either to save face or out of sheer incredulity - but eventually stops the conversation to ask: "Why are you grabbing my butt?"
Louis, looking slightly taken aback, replies: "I'm looking out for you!"
Yeah, he actually said that. Gross.
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The clip has spread like wildfire on social media, with one post racking up 80,000 retweets.
It was shared as a GIF over on Reddit, too - with one Redditor praising Mel for calling Louis out, writing: "Good on Mel B to call that shit out on TV, I'm surprised it didn't spark more controversy in the media/MeToo movement."
Another user wrote: "No one in that room cares about it. If you watch the full clip, they just keep going as usual. This is modern society for you. Can you imagine what happens when the cameras are turned off?"
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However, some people slammed Mel B for 'embarrassing' Louis on live TV, arguing that she handled the situation poorly.
"Terrible reaction from Mel B embarrassing the man," one person wrote, while another suggested she could have whispered something to Louis more privately rather than 'insulting him in front of millions of viewers'.
Thankfully, that (frankly ridiculous) reaction seems to be the one of the minority, and many have defended Mel - with another Twitter user posing: "Embarassing him??? Are you being serious. If your daughter was being groped by an old man would you say the same thing?"
Another person said said: "She handled it waaaaaaay better than I would've. Way better than I have in the past. A true Queen. A hero."
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A further comment read: "I'm thrown off by the people trying to excuse his behavior or saying she handled it wrong. He pats, then grabs, then shakes her ass. He was out of line and deserved her reaction, if not worse."
The clip is problematic for so many reasons - firstly, the fact that it happened in the first place, but also because it's only just coming to our attention now.
There's also the consideration that even after Mel called Louis out, what happened was immediately brushed under the carpet
Featured Image Credit: ITVTopics: UK News, Entertainment, TV and Film, Celebrity, UK Entertainment, louis walsh, x factor