why did mel b say that to micah palace

Mel B told Micah Palace to be nice to everyone, including the crew and people who dress him, saying, "because if not, you're gonna meet them on the way back down anyway." This was intended as advice from her own experience as a young performer. However, Simon Cowell felt the comment was out of order because he had personally seen Micah backstage and found him to be very polite and sweet to everyone. Mel B's comment created some tension as it implied Micah might have been rude backstage, which he and Simon both denied. Micah credited his mother for teaching him respect and apologized if he inadvertently upset anyone. Mel B's intention, according to her reps, was to share a valuable lesson she learned early in her career, not to publicly call out Micah negatively.