F45, lost millions and a very famous falling out. Emma Loffhagen reports on the monumental legal row between David Beckham and Mark Wahlberg

There is trouble in Los Angeles A-lister-fitness-guru paradise.

Over the weekend, it emerged that David Beckham is suing Hollywood actor turned wellness mogul Mark Wahlberg after a brand deal turned sour, allegedly leaving Becks £8.5 million out of pocket.

The pair have been friends for almost 15 years, dating back to when the 48-year-old former footballer moved in down the road from the 52-year-old Ted actor in LA in 2007.

DAVID BECKHAM IS SUING MARK WAHLBERG AFTER A DISPUTE INVOLVING F45
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But no more, apparently.

Beckham has accused Wahlberg of having misled him during their business dealings, accusing his company of “fraudulent conduct”.

The case relates to the fitness company F45 Training, which Wahlberg part-owns. Beckham agreed to be the US firm’s global ambassador when he moved to LA, but has now alleged that he was misled into working with the company. According to documents seen by The Sun, Beckham’s company DB Ventures Ltd initially began litigation against F45 in October 2022, alongside Australian golfing legend Greg Norman, before a judge instructed the pair to bring their cases separately.

WAHLBERG AND BECKHAM HAVE BEEN FRIENDS SINCE THE LATTER MOVED TO LA IN 2007
DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

The legal dispute between David Beckham and Mark Wahlberg has garnered attention, with Beckham claiming a loss of over £8.5 million due to withheld stocks that saw a subsequent plummet in share prices. Wahlberg and his associates deny allegations of fraudulent conduct and have requested dismissal of the lawsuit.

In addition to this case, another legal action targets Wahlberg’s investment firm, Mark Wahlberg Investment Group (MWIG), along with F45’s founders, Adam Gilchrist and Rob Deutsch.

Beckham’s promotion of F45 through Instagram posts to his vast following has since been deleted as part of the fallout from the dispute.

While the legal battle unfolds, it’s worth noting the friendship between Beckham and Wahlberg, as well as Wahlberg’s ventures in business. However, Wahlberg’s history includes past legal troubles, adding a layer of complexity to the current situation.

Inside Beckham and Wahlberg’s 15-year friendship

While Beckham and Wahlberg have been friends for over a decade, their relationship didn’t get off to the best start. Beckham and Wahlberg became friends after the ex-Manchester United midfielder and his family relocated to LA in 2007, after he signed a deal to join Major League Soccer team LA Galaxy. He had moved in down the road from Wahlberg, who was not a fan of the sudden press presence in the area.

BECKHAM MOVED TO LA IN 2007 AFTER SIGNING WITH LA GALAXY
AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

Mark Wahlberg expressed frustration with the increased paparazzi presence in his neighborhood after David Beckham and his family moved in. In a 2009 interview with the Daily Mail, Wahlberg remarked on how the once-quiet atmosphere was disrupted by the constant presence of photographers. He emphasized his discomfort with strangers intruding on his family’s privacy, particularly when they visited the park.

Wahlberg also questioned Beckham’s decision to move to America, suggesting that soccer, or football as it’s known internationally, wouldn’t find much traction in the United States compared to sports like baseball and basketball. While he acknowledged Beckham’s efforts, he seemed skeptical about the sport’s popularity in America.

Overall, Wahlberg’s comments reflected his concerns about the invasion of privacy and his skepticism towards the adoption of soccer as a mainstream sport in the US.

WAHLBERG HAS PIVOTED INTO THE FITNESS MOGUL REALM IN RECENT YEARS
INSTAGRAM / MARK WAHLBERG

However the two apparently patched things up, and Wahlberg later shared that he wanted to make sure there was no animosity between him and Beckham. “He 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,’” Wahlberg later told The Sun. “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.”

MARK WAHLBERG AND CHARLIZE THERON APPEARING ON THE MTV TRL UK SHOW, AT THE MTV STUDIOS IN CAMDEN, NORTH LONDON
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In August 2021, Beckham agreed to serve as fitness brand F45’s global ambassador, a company which Wahlberg own’s minority shares in. “I’ve been a fan of the F45 franchise and training model since being introduced by my friend, Mark Wahlberg,” he said during a press release at the time.

The following year, Beckham and Wahlberg took a group trip to Canada together. “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,” Beckham captioned an Instagram post.

Mark then replied: “What a place. What A time❤️😂.”

Wahlburgers, the Barbados cricket team and a collab with P Diddy – Wahlberg’s eclectic business ventures

WAHLBERG CO-OWNS FAST FOOD CHAIN WAHLBURGERS WITH HIS BROTHERS
DAVE BENETT

Mark Wahlberg’s foray into the business world has become increasingly prominent alongside his acting and music career. In 2014, he, along with his brothers Donnie and Paul, ventured into the fast food industry by opening Wahlburgers, a hamburger establishment. The idea originated from Mark’s vision to expand Paul’s existing restaurant in Massachusetts into a chain, accompanied by a reality TV show to boost its promotion.

However, not all of Wahlburgers’ ventures have been smooth sailing. In 2017, reports surfaced regarding troubles at two of their New York locations. One restaurant in Coney Island closed down, while the company faced challenges with rent payments. In response, Wahlburgers attributed these issues to franchisees not adhering to the brand’s standards and business practices. Despite setbacks, Wahlburgers continues to operate, with ongoing efforts to maintain its brand integrity and expand its reach.

WAHLBERG AT THE LAUNCH OF WAHLBURGERS UK DEBUT RESTAURANT IN LONDON’S COVENT GARDEN IN 2004
DAVE BENETT

Wahlberg has also bought an equity interest of the Barbados Tridents cricket team, after was introduced to the game by Amjal Khan, a friend and the club’s chairman. “I am a huge cricket fan now,” Wahlberg said in a statement after the announcement. “I’m excited to be a part of the Limacol Caribbean Premier League because I know cricket is huge in the Caribbean and a rich part of the region’s heritage.”

After cutting his teeth in the business world in the fast food sphere, in 2015 Wahlberg pivoted to fitness. Collaborating with now-disgraced hip-hop mogul P Diddy and billionaire Ronald Burkle, he invested in Aquahydrate, a bottled water brand. The following year, he co-founded Performance Inspired, a sports nutrition company, with former GNC executive Tom Dowd.

COLLABORATING WITH NOW-DISGRACED HIP-HOP MOGUL P DIDDY, WAHLBERG ALSO HE INVESTED IN AQUAHYDRATE, A BOTTLED WATER BRAND
GETTY IMAGES FOR CINEMACON

Along with his producing partner and manager Stephen Levinson, Wahlberg also launched Ballers Report, an online platform (and spin-off of their HBO series Ballers) that features inspiring business, entertainment and sports articles, videos and podcasts.

In March 2019, Wahlberg bought a stake in the F45 fitness franchise. Four years later, he became the company’s chief brand officer.  The company describes itself as offering “life-changing gym and functional team training”. It owns over 2,000 studios worldwide, including 1,000 in the US and 500 in Australia where it was founded in 2011 by Gilchrist and Deutsche Wahlberg was named as chief brand officer in 2022.

In August 2023, F45 Training Holdings announced it had delisted from the New York Stock Exchange after its share price fell by 75 per cent. According to Business Wire, F45 had received notice from the NYSE that it was not in compliance with its listing standards.

A litany of alleged racist hate crimes: Wahlberg’s past legal troubles

WAHLBERG WAS CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER IN 1988
TIM P. WHITBY/GETTY

Mark Wahlberg’s early involvement with the law was indeed troubling. In the 1980s, while living in Boston, he was involved in two racially motivated attacks that resulted in charges and jail time for one of them.

In 1986, at the age of 15, Wahlberg and three friends were charged with harassing and throwing rocks at three black children while shouting racial slurs. The next day, he targeted another group of predominantly black children at the beach, leading a racially motivated attack. Wahlberg was convicted of violating the civil rights of his victims, leading to a civil rights injunction against him and two of his friends.

In an unrelated incident in 1988, Wahlberg assaulted two Vietnamese men while under the influence of PCP, using racist language during the attacks. He struck one man unconscious with a wooden stick and punched another in the eye.

These incidents resulted in serious consequences for Wahlberg, including jail time and legal repercussions. While he has since expressed remorse for his actions and has worked to turn his life around, his past involvement in hate crimes remains a dark chapter in his history.

In this incident he was charged with attempted murder, but pleaded guilty to felony assault, claiming that he was intoxicated and denying racial motivation for the attacks.

However, due to his prior civil rights injunction prohibiting him from racially motivated violence, he was found in contempt of court and sentenced to a two-year prison term.

In 2014, Wahlberg attempted to seek pardon for the second attack and have it wiped from his criminal record. “I am deeply sorry for the actions that I took on the night of April 8, 1988, as well as for any lasting damage that I may have caused the victims,” Wahlberg wrote in his pardon application. “Since that time, I have dedicated myself to becoming a better person and citizen so that I can be a role model to my children and others.”

He later dropped this request. In 2016, Wahlberg said he had met with Trinh and apologized “for those horrific acts”. Trinh then released a public statement forgiving Wahlberg.

In a 2020 interview with The Guardian, he opened up further, and claimed that he had “done the work” to make things right.

“I took it upon myself to own up to my mistakes and go against the grain and not be a part of the gang any more – to say that I was going to go and do my own thing,” he explained.

“[It] made it 10 times more difficult to walk from my home to the train station, to go to school, to go to work. But I also prided myself on doing the right thing and turning my life around … I would hope that people would be able to get a second chance in life.”