David Beckham’s son signed a massive new brand deal to promote the World Cup, then appeared to reference his ongoing family rift

Brooklyn Beckham is currently facing a wave of criticism after appearing in a new DoorDash advertisement that seems to directly reference his ongoing, very public family issues. This appearance comes after his bombshell statement earlier in January where he admonished his parents, football icon David Beckham and former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, for allegedly trying to “ruin” his relationship with wife Nicola Peltz.

He made it clear then that he wanted to live a private life, not one defined by “Brand Beckham.” However, Brooklyn’s recent commercial for the 2026 FIFA World Cup has left many viewers and a PR crisis expert scratching their heads. In the ad, he’s seen smirking while saying, “You’re probably wondering why I’m watching the FIFA World Cup 2026 from home. It’s a long story.” This line has been widely interpreted as a direct nod to his family drama, completely contradicting his earlier pleas for privacy.

Lauren Beeching, a PR crisis expert, didn’t mince words, calling the ad “tasteless” given everything Brooklyn has said about his family. She told Ladbible that if he were her client, she would have advised him against doing it. Beeching explained that it’s “such a strange choice when you sit with it because it contradicts everything he said.”

Fans Linked the Ad to Family Tensions

She specifically pointed to his previous statement where he wrote, “My wife and I do not want a life shaped by image, press or manipulation, all you want is peace, privacy and happiness for us and our future family.” Beeching is clearly frustrated by the apparent hypocrisy, stating, “But then he’s turned the whole thing into a joke to sell a takeaway app. So you can’t say you want a life that is by image and press and then make your private life the image you’re selling.”

She believes Brooklyn “slated Brand Beckham, then profited off Brand Beckham through his own feud for DoorDash.” For her, it’s “such a bizarre thing to do, and you don’t get to say you want out and then sell the tickets to it.” The PR expert, who has extensive experience helping celebrities manage their public image, strongly believes Brooklyn is losing the PR battle against his parents. She thinks the Beckhams will always come out on top in this situation.

Beeching also suspects Brooklyn isn’t getting any PR help, or if he is, he definitely isn’t listening, especially considering the “emotional” nature of his January statement. Because of this, Beeching has offered some direct advice, suggesting Brooklyn consider dropping his famous surname if he truly wants to separate himself from his family’s brand. “I mean, it’s unfortunate. It’s his surname, but when it is Brand Beckham, that’s like the name of it, it’s an awkward position he’s in,” she noted.

She emphasized that if he continues to heavily push that name everywhere, it will “forever have that following him,” and people will “constantly call him out for it, that he’s profiting off the name.” Beeching feels that Brooklyn has made things incredibly difficult for himself, remarking that “he’s broken every PR rule.” While some younger fans might sympathize with him, she doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to compete with the established “Brand Beckham.”

She also offered a bit of sympathy for Brooklyn, acknowledging he must have had a “bizarre upbringing.” Ultimately, her core message is that “he can’t continue insulting the Beckham name while using the Beckham name to profit from it.”