Friends to foes? David Beckham and Mark Wahlberg’s drama is a long-winded one. The soccer legend filed a lawsuit against F45 Fitness which the Oscar-nominated actor is part-owner of.
F45 is a fitness brand that started in Australia in 2013 and offers 45-minute, bootcamp-style workouts guided by in-studio trainers and electronic displays. Mark Wahlberg invested in the company in 2019 and became the Chief Branding Officer in 2023. During this time, David Beckham entered into a promotional agreement with the fitness brand through his company DB Ventures Limited in 2020, according to court documents. Due to payment discrepancies, the Inter Miami owner is taking the Ted actor to court.
David Beckham & Mark Wahlberg Drama Timeline
Here’s why David Beckham is suing Mark Wahlberg’s company.
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December 2009: David Beckham moves into Mark Wahlberg’s neighborhood
In 2009, David Beckham and his family moved into the same neighborhood as Mark Wahlberg’s family and the Uncharted actor had a lot to say about it. “Man, the Beckhams. It used to be so quiet on my road,” Wahlberg told Daily Mail. “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.”
He continued, “Where I come from it’s not considered wise to follow people around like that unless you’re looking for serious trouble. When that happens I start thinking, ‘Either I’m going to get that guy or he’s going to get me.’”
Wahlberg later retracted his comments as he later told The Sun: “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. So I said something like, “I don’t like him being here because of that.”
“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.”
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2019: Mark Wahlberg buys stakes in F45 training
Image Credit: Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for F45 Training In 2019, Mark Wahlberg teamed up with venture capital company FOD Capital to buy a stake in F45. When Mark and FOD invested, F45 was valued at $450 million.
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August 2021: David Beckham is announced as a partner in F45
Image Credit: Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for F45 Training In a blog post, David Beckham announces his partnership with F45 Training. “I’ve been a fan of the F45 franchise and training model since being introduced by my friend, Mark Wahlberg,” he wrote on F45 Training’s website at the time. “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.”
He added, “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.”
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March 30, 2023: Mark Wahlberg is named Chief Branding Officer of F45
Mark Wahlberg was named Chief Branding Officer of F45 on March 30, 2023. He has been on the company’s board since 2019. He bought a pre-IPO stake in the firm that year at a valuation of roughly $450 million.
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August 2022: David Beckham posts a picture with Mark Wahlberg
David Beckham posted a friendly photo with Mark Wahlberg in the summer of 2022. ” He captioned the photo: “Great few days in Muskoka 🇨🇦 with family and friends ❤️ wow what a place and yes we laughed a lot & drank a little 🍷@markwahlberg @jamiejsalter @tie_domi THE BEST”
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April 21, 2024: David Beckham sues F45
On April 21, 2024, it was reported that David Beckham was suing F45 after claiming that he never received the $10 million he was offered in contract negotiations when partnering with the brand.
“Despite DBVL upholding its end of the bargain, however, F45 failed to issue substantial cash and equity compensation to DBVL as required by the parties’ agreement,” Beckham’s attorneys wrote in the complaint.
The complaint also said that the Australian based fitness company agreed to pay Beckham $1.5 million a year, along with shares of stock in the company which would be available to him six months and again 12 months after the company went public. However, the Inter-Miami owner’s attorneys alleged F45 Training failed to transfer and register the shares until about eight months after the agreed-upon date. His attorneys also said the shares were worth about $9.3 million less than they were in January 2022.
Beckham is suing for $9.3 million for his loss of shares, plus an additional $5 million, according to the complaint. Beckham is also seeking $4.5 million for payments he alleges he was to receive for the remainder of his term with F45.
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April 21, 2024: F45 Responds to David Beckham’s Lawsuit
F45’s lawyers have responded to David Beckham’s complaint in court documents, denying multiple allegations. The company also claims that Beckham has not fully performed his obligations and that his lawsuit is “attempting to benefit from his own wrongdoing and has unclean hands.”
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