The Reaction To Brooklyn Beckham’s Bombshell Post | Fame Under Fire (YouTube Video Transcript)

(00:00:00) Your YouTube transcript will appear here (00:00:00) Hello, welcome back to another episode (00:00:03) of Fame Under Fire with me, Amber Hack. (00:00:05) I am jumping on board to present the (00:00:07) podcast while Anushka and Sha take a (00:00:09) well-earned break. (00:00:14) The Beckhams, [music] (00:00:15) they are facing a very public and very (00:00:19) personal fallout. And all of this is (00:00:22) coming from inside the family itself. If (00:00:25) you haven't seen it, Brooklyn Peltz (00:00:28) Beckham. He is the eldest child of Sir (00:00:30) David Beckham, the world famous (00:00:32) footballer, and Victoria Beckham, the (00:00:35) former Spice Girl, now fashion designer. (00:00:37) He has dropped a series of statements to (00:00:40) his 16 million followers on Instagram (00:00:44) saying that he doesn't want to reconcile (00:00:46) with his family that he has had no (00:00:49) choice but to speak out now accusing his (00:00:52) parents and their team of countless (00:00:55) lies. So much for us to get into. So (00:00:58) joining me now is crisis PR manager (00:01:01) Molly McFersonen and our BBC (00:01:03) correspondent Nick Johnson. Nick, first (00:01:06) of all, what exactly has Brooklyn said (00:01:09) and why is today such a turning point in (00:01:12) this story that has been rumbling on for (00:01:14) quite a few years now? (00:01:15) >> Yeah, well, I think you say it there, (00:01:17) Amber. I mean, today is a turning point (00:01:19) because it's the first time really that (00:01:21) that the family has sort of aired its (00:01:24) dirty washing really in this way. (00:01:25) There's been rumors um in the tabloids (00:01:28) over over many months of of some sort of (00:01:31) rift between Brooklyn and the rest of (00:01:33) the family, but really in this social (00:01:35) media post we got from Brooklyn last (00:01:37) night, this is the first time it's been (00:01:39) aired in in in such a public way and and (00:01:41) and directly uh from him. Let's just (00:01:44) have a look about what he's uh said. (00:01:47) He's talked about Brand Beckham. He says (00:01:50) uh my family values public promotion and (00:01:52) endorsements above all else. He says (00:01:55) brand Beckham comes first. Family love (00:01:57) and he's put love in inverted commas is (00:02:00) decided by how much you post on me on (00:02:03) social media. Um he then goes on to talk (00:02:05) at length about his his parents' (00:02:07) attitude to his wife Nicola Peltz. He (00:02:09) says that his parents have tried to ruin (00:02:11) their relationship, derail their (00:02:13) wedding. He says saying a promised (00:02:16) Beckham wedding dress was cancelled at (00:02:18) the last minute. Uh, and he goes on to (00:02:20) say that his his mother, Victoria (00:02:22) Beckham, um, hijacked their wedding (00:02:24) dance. So, this is a sort of a scathing (00:02:29) statement uh, that is aired out there (00:02:31) for his many millions of followers. (00:02:32) >> Molly, do you mind if I just bring you (00:02:34) in here? Because Nick's just laid out (00:02:36) some examples there. These accusations (00:02:39) that Brooklyn has now put out publicly, (00:02:42) they're so specific about the wedding (00:02:45) dress being hijacked last minute, about (00:02:48) his mother supposedly jumping in on his (00:02:51) first dance and acting inappropriately. (00:02:54) The fact that it is so specific from a (00:02:58) PR perspective, does that make it harder (00:03:00) to defend against that it isn't (00:03:02) something vague and general? (00:03:06) Well, it's certainly difficult when it (00:03:08) is a family drama as opposed to two (00:03:11) different parties. You know, it's (00:03:12) certainly within the family, but proper (00:03:14) damage control right now does not look (00:03:17) like an Instagram statement. It's about (00:03:21) containment. It is likely uh legal. It (00:03:24) is NDA's. It's looking at contracts line (00:03:27) by line. Um, it is not going to be about (00:03:32) uh dismantling the narrative that (00:03:34) Brooklyn is putting out there. Uh, (00:03:36) Victoria and David Beckham right now (00:03:39) need to contain the brand. Uh, keep (00:03:41) their collaboration safe and let (00:03:43) everybody know that everything is fine (00:03:45) and be a little quiet at the moment. (00:03:48) There should be a statement, but it (00:03:49) shouldn't match their sons. (00:03:52) And of course, there is background to (00:03:54) this stuff, right, Nick? Because even (00:03:56) though Brooklyn is saying that he has (00:03:58) remained silent so far in this (00:04:00) statement, there's been a few rumors (00:04:02) that have come out over the past year or (00:04:05) so that he wasn't happy, for example, (00:04:07) about his mom Victoria liking some of (00:04:09) his Instagram posts and then (00:04:10) subsequently that he'd apparently asked (00:04:13) his parents to only communicate with him (00:04:15) via lawyers. There is some background to (00:04:18) this moment right now, isn't there? (00:04:19) >> Yeah, it felt like things were were (00:04:21) bubbling away to lead up to this very (00:04:24) public moment. But I think as well this (00:04:26) sort of this is quite all quite (00:04:28) relatable, isn't it? It's a family drama (00:04:30) and it's a family drama that that's (00:04:32) aired over social media where when we (00:04:34) use social media with our family (00:04:35) members, we're also perhaps one family (00:04:37) member might nudge to another and say, (00:04:39) "Oh, did you see who liked so and so? (00:04:40) Who unfollowed so- and so?" And this is (00:04:42) happening in in in such a on a much (00:04:45) wider scale. And perhaps, you know, we'd (00:04:48) be forgiven for forgetting um that that (00:04:50) just one click, one unfollow, one like (00:04:53) um is is is not seen by by so many (00:04:56) people. But then you look at the (00:04:57) Beckhams and those those brief clicks (00:04:59) have such huge ramifications. (00:05:02) >> So this statement from Brooklyn Beckham (00:05:04) on Instagram has got everyone talking (00:05:07) from my friends to my family. It feels (00:05:10) like everybody has an opinion on things, (00:05:11) but there has been a latest update, (00:05:14) hasn't there Nick, from Davos? Well, the (00:05:16) World Economic Forum in in Davos, that's (00:05:18) a gathering of some of the most powerful (00:05:20) people in the world. World leaders are (00:05:21) there, world financiers are there, and (00:05:23) and and David Beckham himself is there (00:05:26) today at the moment at this uh this (00:05:27) resource in the in the Swiss Alps, and (00:05:29) he's uh been talking to the American (00:05:31) broadcaster CNBC. Uh he's been talking (00:05:34) to them about young people and their use (00:05:37) of social media and how they can best (00:05:40) use social media. Um and he he's talked (00:05:43) about how there are many dangers of (00:05:46) social media which which are well (00:05:48) reported but also the positives of (00:05:50) social media. He's talked about how he (00:05:52) uses his platform and his following to (00:05:55) what he says try and make positive (00:05:56) differences on social media. But this is (00:05:59) the interesting thing. He says um I've (00:06:01) tried to do the same with my children to (00:06:03) educate them. They make mistakes. (00:06:04) Children are allowed to make mistakes. (00:06:06) He says that's how they learn. That's (00:06:08) what I try to teach my kids. But you (00:06:10) have to sometimes let them make those (00:06:12) mistakes. So, it's important that we're (00:06:14) not misleading people and taking this (00:06:15) out of context. He's not directly (00:06:17) addressing um Brooklyn's social media (00:06:20) post here, but he's it's interesting (00:06:22) that only hours after after his son (00:06:25) posted this, he is addressing young (00:06:27) people and their use of social media, (00:06:29) acknowledging the fact that that that (00:06:30) young people across the world make (00:06:32) mistakes in their use of social media. (00:06:34) Yeah, it is an interesting response and (00:06:38) social media has played such a big part (00:06:41) in this whole supposed feud, hasn't it? (00:06:44) The fact that Brooklyn has spoken out (00:06:46) about his mom liking his post. There's (00:06:48) been a lot of public scrutiny, for (00:06:50) example, of which family member has (00:06:53) blocked who at a certain time and what (00:06:55) that means. I mean, it's very indicative (00:06:57) of the modern world that we live in, (00:06:59) isn't it? Where this gets so scrutinized (00:07:01) publicly. How does that play into (00:07:04) something for a celebrity in this (00:07:06) position, Molly, when it is everyone is (00:07:09) talking about on Tik Tok analyzing (00:07:11) likes, follows, blocks, and the rest of (00:07:13) it? (00:07:15) >> Well, Nick brought up a very important (00:07:17) part of it that this is a family drama, (00:07:20) but in my work as a crisis manager, the (00:07:22) same family dramas bleed into corporate (00:07:25) dramas and and brand dramas just like (00:07:28) this. This is no different than normal (00:07:30) families. But how interesting that David (00:07:32) Beckham is coming out with a statement. (00:07:34) It is not official. It is not directly (00:07:37) discussing um his son but rather (00:07:40) indirectly. That is a PR move. That is a (00:07:44) PR statement. The framing is not going (00:07:46) to be about uh dismantling this idea (00:07:50) that Victoria is the mother-in-law from (00:07:52) hell. They are going to frame the son as (00:07:56) young making mistakes. And you know all (00:07:58) kids make mistakes. all kids, you know, (00:08:01) can can, you know, veer off from their (00:08:03) family values. That is very much an (00:08:06) indirect direct statement. (00:08:09) >> And so much of Brooklyn's statement and (00:08:12) some of the things that he's accusing (00:08:13) his family of is prioritizing public (00:08:17) promotion and endorsements above all (00:08:20) else. Nick, just paint a picture for us (00:08:22) of how huge and global this brand (00:08:26) Beckham actually is because they are a (00:08:28) commercial machine that are in so many (00:08:30) different sectors. (00:08:32) >> They are huge and and it's been argued (00:08:34) by by many in the media and beyond in in (00:08:37) this country that they are perhaps (00:08:38) second only in terms of a family brand (00:08:41) in the UK to the royal family. They are (00:08:44) huge and they've been around for many (00:08:46) years and and and I think it's important (00:08:48) to remember that that even before (00:08:51) Brooklyn, their eldest was born. Um (00:08:53) obviously Victoria Beckham, uh she was (00:08:56) she was a Spice girl, David Beckham, a (00:08:59) young footballer, when the two of them (00:09:00) got together, um they'd managed to forge (00:09:03) this huge media personality as a couple (00:09:06) very early on. Uh, and when Brooklyn was (00:09:09) born, that that sort of continued and (00:09:11) their subsequent children um continued (00:09:14) even more so. And I think in in the age (00:09:16) of of of social media now, the fact that (00:09:18) we're able to see that family brand play (00:09:21) out and in and and in the sort of um (00:09:24) volatile ways it has done in in recent (00:09:26) months. That that's sort of we've got a (00:09:28) front row seat to that now. And that's (00:09:30) something that we wouldn't have done (00:09:32) perhaps 30 years ago, 25, 30 years ago (00:09:35) when when David and Victoria got (00:09:37) together, even though they were huge (00:09:39) celebrities even back then. But I think (00:09:41) what Molly said was about the their very (00:09:43) polished brand and and she's right (00:09:45) saying that I think that even though (00:09:46) David wasn't directly addressing the (00:09:49) feud in that interview with CNBC, (00:09:52) they've been around as a brand for 30 (00:09:54) years. I'm sure he knew exactly what he (00:09:56) was doing when he was talking about (00:09:57) young people and their mistakes on (00:09:59) social media. M I mean it's brought up a (00:10:02) lot of feelings for me because I was a (00:10:04) young girl growing up in Manchester, (00:10:06) huge Manchester United fan, would go all (00:10:08) the time with my dad to Old Trafford and (00:10:10) of course I grew up watching David (00:10:12) Beckham and I remember when he went over (00:10:14) to Real Madrid with Victoria and it was (00:10:17) like his brand just took on this whole (00:10:19) new weight and meaning around the world. (00:10:21) this blonde hair. I remember he had it (00:10:23) in this ponytail and he became a (00:10:25) Galactico and that name Beckham has just (00:10:28) become a global brand. Talking about (00:10:31) brand because it's so central and their (00:10:34) name itself to everything that's going (00:10:36) on in this story. Molly David and (00:10:38) Victoria Beckham trademarked their (00:10:40) children's names back in 2016. Brooklyn (00:10:44) is now alleging that his parents tried (00:10:46) to make him sign away the rights to his (00:10:48) name before the wedding happened. What (00:10:51) does an accusation like that tell us? (00:10:55) >> Well, the accusation tells us a lot and (00:10:58) and really you you went through it (00:11:00) yourself, Amber. I mean, you saw the (00:11:02) rise of the Beckham name and certainly (00:11:05) what uh David Beckham and Victoria (00:11:07) Beckham have done since the '9s beyond (00:11:10) is they understood the power of (00:11:13) branding, but they also grew at a time (00:11:15) before we really had social media. So, (00:11:18) these two, they're a couple who (00:11:20) understand what it's like to not just (00:11:22) brand in the '9s, but certainly into (00:11:24) digital and social media and rely on the (00:11:27) public. Brooklyn learned from that. what (00:11:30) he's doing right now is not leveraging (00:11:33) the brand endorsement. He's leveraging (00:11:35) the reputation endorsement. He knew when (00:11:38) he put up stories on Instagram that they (00:11:41) that those stories that those statements (00:11:43) would have a lot of power not just in (00:11:46) the UK but in the US as well. The US (00:11:49) right now it feels people feel like (00:11:51) everything is imploding. It people are (00:11:54) looking for another story to talk about (00:11:56) and this is the story. my messages, my (00:12:00) DMs, everybody wants to know like what (00:12:03) my thoughts are on this. That doesn't (00:12:04) tell me anything about me. It tells me (00:12:06) that people are very curious about this. (00:12:09) This is absolutely a brand cab (00:12:11) collaboration um Instagram viral story, (00:12:15) which is quite incredible really because (00:12:18) of course they are British celebrities, (00:12:21) but the weight that they carry in (00:12:23) America because of for example David (00:12:25) Beckham's connection with Inter Miami, (00:12:27) you know, it's huge. so played such a (00:12:29) big part in making you obviously call it (00:12:31) soccer over there but you know a a huge (00:12:34) global brand associated with the United (00:12:36) States as well and the language really (00:12:40) jumps out to me in this Molly because (00:12:42) Brooklyn has used some specific terms (00:12:45) here so we said for example that his mom (00:12:48) chose to dance with him on the wedding (00:12:50) and it was inappropriate I mean that (00:12:52) word is quite open to interpretation (00:12:55) he's also used the term facade that his (00:12:58) parents and their team, they leak and (00:13:01) shape the narrative and the Beckham (00:13:03) brand is all a facade. In PR terms, why (00:13:06) can language like that be so damaging (00:13:09) sometimes? You know, let's go to the (00:13:11) beginning when when Nick mentioned, you (00:13:12) know, this is a typical This is a (00:13:14) family. You know, family has drama, but (00:13:16) they're not a very typical family. (00:13:17) They're atypical, but they're acting (00:13:19) like a lot of normal families out there. (00:13:21) It's it's somewhat reasonable when kids (00:13:23) grow up and parents disappoint them that (00:13:26) they can weaponize or use social media (00:13:30) against them. We see that happen all the (00:13:31) time. When it comes to the Beckham (00:13:33) brand, however, it's as if Brooklyn knew (00:13:36) exactly where to pierce the arrow. He (00:13:39) knew how to get at his parents. But it (00:13:42) is still heartbreaking, you know, that (00:13:44) you still have a family that's fractured (00:13:46) right now. But I do see a place out for (00:13:51) Victoria and David as parents because a (00:13:53) lot of people out there can understand (00:13:55) their point of view how difficult it can (00:13:57) be to raise kids in the spotlight. Uh (00:14:00) there is a path forward. But what's (00:14:02) interesting, they're also doing (00:14:03) something that a lot of people at the (00:14:06) center of a crisis or or companies or (00:14:08) corporations do when they're at the (00:14:10) center of the crisis. They blame the (00:14:11) internet. They blame the internet. And (00:14:14) whenever I see someone blame the (00:14:15) internet or blame social media or cancel (00:14:17) culture, it usually tells me they want (00:14:20) to cover something or they know that (00:14:22) there is some blame there, some truth to (00:14:24) the matter. All of this, you know, even (00:14:26) looking at some of the comments (00:14:28) underneath the Instagram post, of (00:14:30) course, you get people and both sides of (00:14:32) the camp, so to speak, that some people (00:14:34) are saying this is, you know, the eldest (00:14:36) child who's grown up with all this (00:14:38) trauma around him finally feeling like (00:14:40) he can speak out. But there is also on (00:14:42) the other side people saying that the (00:14:44) Beckhams are real. You know, they're (00:14:46) going through something that all (00:14:47) families can go through and actually it (00:14:49) sort of humanizes them. Molly's painted (00:14:52) a picture there of how the story is (00:14:54) being perceived in the States. But Nick, (00:14:56) how huge of a story actually is this? (00:15:00) >> Well, it it's certainly of something (00:15:02) that we like to say here that's that's (00:15:04) of um interest to the public, but (00:15:07) perhaps maybe not entirely in the public (00:15:09) interest. Um, I'm just looking on on the (00:15:11) on the BBC uh news websites at the (00:15:14) moment. Um, and it is, yeah, it's it's (00:15:17) it's it's up there among the the most uh (00:15:19) the most read stories. Yeah, it is the (00:15:21) most read story at the moment and I (00:15:22) expect that to remain. I mean, it is it (00:15:24) is a huge deal. Um, I've just spent uh (00:15:27) the first half of the day in the (00:15:29) newsroom downstairs and with everything (00:15:30) else that's going on in the world at the (00:15:32) moment, a bit like how Molly said in the (00:15:34) US, people feel things are just (00:15:35) imploding. Similarly so here I think a (00:15:37) little bit the news agenda has been uh (00:15:40) bleak perhaps in recent uh days and (00:15:42) weeks and I think this is really it's (00:15:45) something that a lot of people are (00:15:47) talking about and I think one of the (00:15:49) reasons that is is we've talked about (00:15:50) family dramas and and what have you but (00:15:52) but the way Molly said that that um that (00:15:55) Brooklyn has gone for this and the (00:15:56) points that he's raised in that social (00:15:58) media post. I mean weddings right (00:16:01) weddings are are high drama for everyone (00:16:03) at the best of times. is always an issue (00:16:05) at a wedding. Who's invited? Who isn't (00:16:07) invited? Someone wants some gossip (00:16:09) coming out of the wedding, whether it's (00:16:11) related to the bride, groom, and family (00:16:12) or or not. And the fact that he's he's (00:16:15) gone for those claims about the (00:16:17) inappropriate dancing and and the lack (00:16:19) of a wedding dress. He's really he's (00:16:21) really hit the family and hit the gossip (00:16:23) where he knows he's going to get it. (00:16:27) >> Yeah. I think as a story, it ticks so (00:16:29) many boxes of things that the public are (00:16:31) intrigued by. It's things that can feel (00:16:34) deeply relatable. We all have families. (00:16:36) Everybody has uh tensions, you know, of (00:16:38) their own sort of kind. But people feel (00:16:40) that it can burst that bubble of (00:16:42) celebrity as well, that they are more (00:16:44) accessible and real and fractured than (00:16:46) we might like to think from a distance. (00:16:48) What do we think could happen next then, (00:16:50) Molly? (00:16:51) >> Well, I'll say the brand Beckham doesn't (00:16:54) die here, but it certainly changes. uh (00:16:57) they're a family who've weathered a lot (00:16:59) of stories and rumors and they're (00:17:02) they're still intact. So now the brand (00:17:04) can be a very relatable flawed family. (00:17:09) You know, the claims of her being this (00:17:11) vitriolic mother-in-law, she's not going (00:17:13) to respond to it line by line. You know, (00:17:16) it we're not going to see it in (00:17:17) Instagram, but I I see something more (00:17:19) dignified out of Victoria. I see them (00:17:23) doing more indirect type of messaging. (00:17:25) um Allah David Beckham and they'll just (00:17:28) get through it like they always do. (00:17:30) >> Yeah. I I similarly I think I think this (00:17:32) is not going to to harm the brand in in (00:17:35) the long term. But I think from a news (00:17:37) perspective um all of us are are are (00:17:39) waiting for who says what next? Um is (00:17:44) Brooklyn going to say something else? (00:17:45) Are we going to get something on camera? (00:17:47) Are we going to get something on social (00:17:48) media from David to Victoria or indeed (00:17:51) um one of the other Beckham children? (00:17:52) So, I think we're all waiting for for (00:17:54) who says what and who's going to come (00:17:56) next. (00:17:56) >> This is of course just one side of the (00:17:58) story. The Beckhams have yet to respond (00:18:00) and as ever with such affairs, (00:18:01) recollections may vary. Thank you both (00:18:04) so much for unpacking that with me. (00:18:06) Definitely on both sides of the (00:18:07) Atlantic, people just cannot get enough (00:18:09) of the story and it seems everyone has (00:18:11) an opinion. So, thank you for spending (00:18:13) some time getting into it with us. (00:18:14) >> Thank you. (00:18:15) >> Thanks, Amber. Now don't forget you can (00:18:17) get in touch with us on WhatsApp on (00:18:19) plus44330678LE14. (00:18:25) Let us know your thoughts, your (00:18:27) questions on who we should be talking (00:18:29) about here on Fame Fire. That is it for (00:18:31) this episode of Fame Under Fire from BBC (00:18:33) Sounds with me, Amber Hack. Make sure (00:18:36) you subscribe to BBC Sounds on YouTube (00:18:38) so you never miss an episode.