The soccer legend David Beckham is suing the Hollywood star Mark Wahlberg for $10 million, claiming that he was “duped” into signing an endorsement deal by him.
Beckham Sues Wahlberg
Daily Mail reported that Beckham became friends with Wahlberg after he moved to Los Angeles back in 2007, when he signed a deal to join Major League Soccer side LA Galaxy.
Beckham later agreed to become the global ambassador for Australian brand F45 in November of 2020, but in his lawsuit, he’s claiming that he never received the $10 million he was offered in contract negotiations. Wahlberg had become a minority shareholder in F45 in 2019 after buying a stake in the company through his investment group.
The Sun reported that Beckham is also suing the Mark Wahlberg Investment Group (MWIG), and gym group F45’s founders Adam Gilchrist and Rob Deutsch. Wahlberg and his codefendants are claiming that the allegations of “fraudulent conduct” are baseless and are asking a judge to dismiss the lawsuit.
“The 209-page, 610-paragraph SAC [complaint] tries to make up with length what it lacks in merit,” they alleged.
Wahlberg’s Fitness Focus
The official F45 website states that it is a “global fitness and lifestyle community” that offers functional training and HIIT workouts as well as nutritional guidance, according to US Weekly. Fitness has long been a major focus for Wahlberg.
“I love getting in a 4 a.m. workout to jump-start my day,” he said in April of 2018. “I feel like crap until I can get to the gym. … You have nothing without your health. And happiness is limited if you don’t feel good about yourself.”
Wahlberg later doubled down on this in another interview two years later.
“Every journey starts with that first step and if you have been slacking off or have never focused on your health or working out, you just have to throw yourself into it and get started!” he said in December of 2020. “Starting small is key so you wake up the next day feeling tired and good about yourself, not crazy sore! A little sore is OK, but you don’t want to give yourself any excuses in the beginning to not keep on track.”
Wahlberg went on to say that he follows a variety of F45 programs.
“Shocking the body and changing up the workouts helps me keep in top shape and making improvements,” Wahlberg stated. “I also listen to my body and rest when I need it. … It is important to keep on track with your fitness and health goals and not lose momentum and slip back into a sedentary lifestyle.”
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Wahlberg Talks Beckham
Back in 2009, Wahlberg opened up about Beckham moving to his neighborhood in Los Angeles.
“Man, the Beckhams. It used to be so quiet on my road,” Wahlberg told Daily Mail at the time. “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.”
“Where I come from it’s not considered wise to follow people around like that unless you’re looking for serious trouble,” he added. “When that happens I start thinking, ‘Either I’m going to get that guy or he’s going to get me.’”
At the time of this writing, Beckham and Wahlberg have yet to comment publicly on the $10 million lawsuit.