The Beckham family feud has reached a boiling point, with eldest son Brooklyn publicly attacking his parents on social media. His six-page indictment has divided opinions worldwide, some support the Beckhams, while others sympathize with Brooklyn and his wife, who is over four years his senior.
Many see Nicola Peltz as the real antagonist. Public opinion suggests the rift between Brooklyn and his family began after he started dating the actress born in 1995. There are suspicions Nicola manipulates and controls her young husband, driving a wedge between him and his blood relatives. Some even believe Nicola forced Brooklyn to write those cold words on the night of January 19.
Amid the family turmoil, Nicola faces another wave of criticism, this time related to her acting career, a role often overshadowed by her status as a Beckham daughter-in-law and the youngest daughter of billionaire Nelson Peltz.
The Series Under Fire
Nicola’s latest project is The Beauty, a horror sci-fi series created by Ryan Murphy and Matthew Hodgson. It premiered in the US on January 21 and aired in the UK the following day.
The plot centers on the dark side of high fashion as international supermodels begin dying in gruesome, mysterious ways. FBI agents Cooper Madsen (Evan Peters) and Jordan Bennett (Rebecca Hall) are sent to Paris to uncover the truth. Their investigation reveals a sexually transmitted virus that can transform ordinary people into physical ideals, but with horrifying consequences.
Their journey puts them in the crosshairs of The Corporation (Ashton Kutcher), a secretive tech billionaire who created the miracle drug called The Beauty and will stop at nothing to protect his trillion-dollar empire, including deploying a deadly assassin (Anthony Ramos).
As the pandemic spreads, Jeremy (Jeremy Pope), a desperate outsider, is caught in the chaos, searching for purpose while agents race across Paris, Venice, Rome, and New York to stop a threat that could change humanity’s future.
The series has 11 episodes and features a star-studded cast including Bella Hadid, Ashton Kutcher, Jeremy Pope, Rebecca Hall, Evan Peters, John Carroll Lynch, Jaquel Spivey, Jessica Alexander, Meghan Trainor, Nicola Peltz Beckham, and Julie Halston.
Despite the impressive lineup, critics say even the star power can’t mask the show’s poor quality.
Rebecca Cook of Metro gave the new series a harsh one-star rating, bluntly calling it unwatchable in her headline.
“After seeing the trailer and the guest list, Meghan Trainor, Bella Hadid, Nicola Peltz Beckham, I guessed it would be nonsense. But I didn’t expect enduring all 11 episodes to be such a test of patience,” Cook commented.
Patrick Smith from The Independent noted The Beauty shares similarities with The Substance, a 2024 horror satire about the body directed by Coralie Fargeat and starring Demi Moore, especially the bizarre physical transformations and obsession with beauty. The pandemic element also recalls the 2014 American supernatural horror It Follows by David Robert Mitchell. However, Smith says The Beauty falls far short of either.
He added the show’s only plus is its visual appeal, suitable for casual glances rather than serious viewing.
Cristina Escobar from Roger Ebert’s review site criticized the series for excessive sex scenes, violence, and underdeveloped ideas.
Pat Stacey of the Irish Independent was even more scathing: “The Beauty was greenlit just two months after Demi Moore’s dark comedy horror The Substance premiered. There are parallels, but the clear difference is one is excellent, the other terrible.”
Ben Travers of IndieWire called The Beauty a complete disaster from start to finish.
Nicola Peltz’s Struggling Acting Career
For many actors, starring in a widely panned project could be a major blow. But according to Daily Mail, this might not be a surprise for Nicola, as most of her work has been poorly received.
She debuted at age 11 in Deck the Halls, a Christmas film that bombed critically with only a 6% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Later, she appeared in The Last Airbender (2010), widely criticized as a cinematic disaster. Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) was a box office hit but panned by critics as a mere marketing stunt.
In 2024, Nicola directed and starred in her debut film Lola. Despite support from the Beckham family, the movie flopped at the box office and received low scores from critics and audiences alike.
While Nicola’s latest project faces harsh backlash, Victoria Beckham has achieved an unprecedented milestone in her music career.
On January 22, Victoria reached number one for the first time as a solo artist. Her 2001 single Not Such An Innocent Girl, featuring her signature sultry dance moves, topped the iTunes charts in the UK and Ireland.
This success came from a fan-driven campaign supporting Posh Spice (Victoria’s stage name in the Spice Girls) following Brooklyn’s accusations that she stole his wife’s dance moves and behaved inappropriately at the wedding party.