Celebrity friendships are very common in Hollywood given that they understand what it is like to be in the public eye better than those not in the industry.
Stars like Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore, Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire, and George Clooney and Brad Pitt, are just some examples of friendships that have stood the test of time.
However, just like celebrity romances, not all friendships are built to last. When they come apart at the seams, it is not quiet and there is drama involved.
The beef between the former friends gets leaked and the issues become public knowledge and what could have been squashed blows further out of proportion.
Mark Wahlberg and David Beckham were once friends, but now they are fighting over money. In the process, other celebrities like Tom Cruise have gotten in the middle of the feud.
This dispute has not only ruined a business relationship the Beckham and Walhberg had, but the chances of the two becoming friends again are slim to none.
How Mark Wahlberg And David Beckham Met
David Beckham and Mark Wahlberg met after Walhberg made comments about Beckham to the press
When Walhberg and Beckham first met, it was not on the best of terms. Wahlberg called out Beckham and his wife, Victoria Beckham after they moved into the Beverly Hills neighborhood where Wahlberg lived.
Before their arrival, the neighborhood was quiet. It was not because of a lack of celebrities. After all, people like Wahlberg, Rihanna, Denzel Washington, and more lived there. But it was Beckham’s superstar status due to soccer that put him in a completely different celebrity stratosphere. Because of this, crowds flocked to the exclusive Beverly Hills neighborhood in droves, which completely annoyed Wahlberg.
“Man, the Beckhams. It used to be so quiet on my road,” Wahlberg explained in 2009. “Then David moves in with his family. Suddenly we’ve got paparazzi hanging out day and night. Now they’ll follow any car that drives down the road. I take strong exception to that kind of thing. When I take my kids to the park I don’t want strangers sticking their lenses into our faces.”
Wahlberg went on to say, “I’m not telling Beckham to take his family home. I’m just not sure why he came to America in the first place. Man, we don’t want your soccer. There’s no way Americans are going to buy the idea of 90 minutes of running around without much happening. Thanks for trying guys, but we’ll stick to baseball and basketball.”
When the interview came out, Wahlberg recognized that the piece sounded like he was angry at Beckham. Yet it later seemed clear that Wahlberg wasn’t salty. Wahlberg eventually met up with Beckham for something work-related. It was then that the two hit it off and became friends.
“He (Beckham) wanted me to email him about something – I don’t know if it was a film. I had said something, half joking, because his house is at the bottom of our hill and a lot of people hang around the area,” Wahlberg said.
“So I said something like, ‘I don’t like him being here because of that.’”
Wahlberg concluded, “I met him and some of his sons and he seems like a nice guy… I wanted to make sure he hadn’t taken that (remark) personally.”
David Beckham Called Mark Wahlberg His “Friend”
David Beckham referred to Mark Wahlberg as his “friend” is a statement he released about partnering with F45
In the time from 2009 when Wahlberg and Beckham met until 2020, the two formed a close relationship. This was clear when Beckham released a statement that he was going to be partnering with the fitness franchise, F45, which Wahlberg is a chief brand officer as of 2023.
In the statement, Beckham called Walhberg his “friend” as he looks forward to what the partnership between himself and F45 will bring for the future.
“I’ve been a fan of the F45 franchise and training model since being introduced by my friend, Mark Wahlberg. Health and fitness have always been a big part of my life and, since my days playing football, I have always found I’m at my best when training as part of a team,” the statement read.
“F45 has a strong community and trainers that help you reach your goals and achieve powerful results. This partnership is an exciting business venture for me also, and I’m looking forward to the journey with F45 as the business continues to expand globally.”
It is this very partnership that caused a rift between Wahlberg and Beckham. After all, the partnership should have been lucrative for both parties. Instead, both lost millions.
What Caused The Rift Between Mark Wahlberg And David Beckham
When Mark Wahlberg and David Beckham went into business together, it caused their friendship to crumble
In exchange for being a brand ambassador, Beckham was promised stock in F45 when the company went public several months after he made his announcement. Given that F45 was worth hundreds of millions, this would have meant millions of dollars going into Beckham’s pocket.
Conversely, having Beckham as an ambassador should have brought millions not only to F45 but to Wahlberg as well. It looked to be a partnership made in heaven.
However, as the date for F45 going public drew closer, Beckham claimed he still had not received his stocks. Beckham was essentially doing work and not getting paid for it.
This caused a strain on the stars’ friendship. But, it was not until several months after the stock went public that Beckham got truly upset. This is because in February 2022, the stock dropped drastically in valuation. Additionally, F45 had reportedly mismanaged money. The net worth of the company had gone down dramatically.
In all, according to Beckham, the delay in getting paid his “nearly one million shares of stock” cost him $9.3 million. Beckham was upset that he was not only not compensated but that what he was supposed to be compensated with was only worth a fraction of what was promised.
David Beckham’s Company Is Suing F45, Not Mark Wahlberg
While DB Ventures Limited is suing F45, it is still David Beckham suing Mark Wahlberg at the end of the day
Beckham’s company, DB Ventures Limited is the company that has brought the lawsuit against F45. While some look at this as just doing business as Beckham is not suing Wahlberg directly, if Beckham’s lawsuit is successful, it will affect Wahlberg’s bottom line. At the end of the day, the lawsuit that has Victoria admitting she is a “miserable cow” is Beckham versus Wahlberg.
Essentially, to be brand ambassador, Beckham agreed to close to one million shares of stock. This stock was to be paid within six months of F45 going public. Not only was Beckham not paid at that time, by February 2022, the stock had tanked. Beckham lost millions.
Beckham claims in his lawsuit that he was also supposed to be given another “$5 million in stock shares as of July 2022.” This was never paid to Beckham. He is looking to be paid $14.5 million by F45.
F45 has claimed that Beckham did not hold up his end of the contract with the company. Because of this, F45 tried to have the lawsuit thrown out. But, the judge found that Beckham did all that was required of him, per his contract. The case is still moving forward.
Given that neither Wahlberg nor Beckham will want to go to trial, it would not be surprising for the two companies to settle before a trial date is assigned. Whether Beckham or Walhberg will come out victorious does not seem to matter when it comes to their friendship, because the two are already on the outs.
