Note: this story came out before Brooklyn Beckham’s huge statement about his parents on Monday. In fact, I think this story might be the proverbial last straw for Brooklyn, since the “sources” gossiping to the Daily Mail have such an anti-Nicola Peltz agenda. So, to recap, relations between Nicolas Peltz and Brooklyn Beckham versus the wider Beckham family began to strain around the Peltz-Beckham wedding several years back. It was functionally a gossip Cold War, but then one year ago, it went “nuclear.” Brooklyn became completely estranged from his parents last spring, and he’s gone no-contact. Brooklyn and Nicola even reportedly told David and Victoria to only communicate with Brooklyn through a lawyer. Throughout it all, there have been many briefings and many social-media games played. While I definitely think Nicola and Brooklyn have done the most to get their side out, Victoria and David have assumed this bizarrely aggrieved position of publicly hating on Nicola and trying to convince Brooklyn to divorce her. Well, the Daily Mail’s Katie Hind has a new piece about how Brooklyn and Nicola’s crisis manager quit and maybe Brooklyn wants to talk to his parents after all? Some lowlights:

Matthew Hiltzik left the Peltz-Beckham employ: Having spent years as a member of Harvey Weinstein’s PR team, Hollywood ‘attack dog’ publicist Matthew Hiltzik is, you could argue, a dab hand at handling a crisis. So it made perfect sense that, when Nicola Peltz – the US heiress married to Brooklyn Beckham – found herself at war with her husband’s high-profile parents, David and Victoria, Hiltzik was seen as the right man to help her navigate the fallout. With a little help from her father, the notoriously aggressive billionaire businessman Nelson Peltz, she secured his extremely expensive services last June. But now, I can reveal, the conflict has become too much even for Hiltzik to bear. Seven months after engaging his services, the couple have parted ways with the publicist, with both sides claiming they ended the agreement.

Did Hiltzik get fired or did he just leave? Sources tell me it was Nelson who called time on the partnership after growing increasingly irate that his youngest daughter was continuing to be upset at her negative portrayal in the media. Nicola and Brooklyn are also insisting they let him go, I’m told. Meanwhile, others say it was Hiltzik who walked away, having grown tired of Nicola using social media to antagonise her in-laws, including a post that saw her fawning over her mother, Claudia, on her birthday last week (the couple famously failed to attend any of the celebrations for David Beckham’s 50th birthday last year). Certainly some who know Nicola agree she is ‘extremely hard work’. Whatever the truth, sources agree on one thing: it’s ‘a blow’ for Nicola and Brooklyn.

Some questionable comments from a source: ‘Matthew is no longer working with Nicola and Brooklyn,’ says my source. ‘It really is quite the blow for them, Nicola seemed to enjoy getting her feelings out there to the Press on the rift. While many aren’t fond of Matthew’s fiery manner, he is used to a crisis, it is what he specialises in, so to not have him working with them anymore means that they are, arguably, in a much weaker situation. From the outside Nicola had become quite forthright, if not a little obsessed, with getting back at David and Victoria.’

It’s pathetic now? ‘But it has all got a bit pathetic now. It has become a bit of a “he said, she said” now. Nicola will never want anyone to think Hiltzik has left her. For her, and her father, coming out on top is a must. Anyone who knows Hiltzik knows that by hiring him it would have meant he would aggressively pressurise the media not to print anything anti Nicola or Brooklyn. It is a real statement that she wanted to bullishly lead the narrative.’

Brooklyn’s moves: Soon after Hiltzik parted company with the Beckham-Peltzes, Brooklyn shared a snap of himself and Nicola enjoying a glass of Victoria’s favourite £5,000 wine. He treated his wife to the Screaming Eagle Sauvignon Blanc while celebrating her 31st birthday earlier last week. One source said: ‘As a couple of nepo-babies who don’t really do a lot with their days or have really had a job they’ve had to graft at, they are desperately worried about their reputations, but then they post a picture of themselves sipping £5,000 wine. Perhaps that’s the kind of thing that Matthew was getting fed up with – who knows?’

How David & Victoria feel: ‘It is clear that Brooklyn is very keen to please Nicola but maybe, just maybe, he will at some point want to get back in touch with his parents,’ my source says. ‘Nothing would make them happier.’

[From The Daily Mail]

This whole article is stupid and shady. This makes no sense: “Nicola using social media to antagonise her in-laws, including a post that saw her fawning over her mother, Claudia, on her birthday last week…” Nicola making a birthday post for HER mother was seen as “antagonizing” Victoria and David? That makes V&D look ridiculous more than anything else. And the stuff about drinking Victoria’s favorite, expensive wine… like, who cares? Yes, they’re nepo babies but good god.

This is also a childlike view of how PR works: “Anyone who knows Hiltzik knows that by hiring him it would have meant he would aggressively pressurise the media not to print anything anti Nicola or Brooklyn.” They’re trying to say that the Peltzes fired Hiltzik because he didn’t do enough to shut down Victoria and David’s BS? If Hiltzik is responsible for Brooklyn & Nicola getting so proactive and pushing all of those negative stories about why they’ve gone no-contact with the Beckhams, then Hiltzik did his job. He got their narrative out, he fought back on their behalf. It’s far more likely that Hiltzik was let go over a money dispute or because Nicola and Brooklyn have simply decided to change strategies. This Mail piece shows that David and Victoria have chosen NOT to change strategy.

Speaking of Nicola and Brooklyn’s new strategy, Brooklyn told all about his parents on Instagram yesterday. I’m covering it separately because I think it needs a dedicated post, but I believe the timing of Brooklyn’s statement is probably related to this Mail piece.

Powerful statement from Brooklyn Beckham 🔥 He’s only 26 & is more mature than certain “adults”. Some families are just too toxic to keep ties. Anyone with a brain knows David & Victoria are more a brand than a marriage. In their hunger for status, they’ve betrayed their values. pic.twitter.com/aeTogZ7ByS

— Julieth ❀ (@troubleshade) January 19, 2026

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images, Nicola’s IG.