It Wouldn’t Be Mother’s Day (in the U.K.) Without Beckham Family Drama

If more than a month passes without a new installment of the Beckham family drama, I start to worry. Where have they gone? It’s like an earthquake; the longer the silence, the bigger the potential for disaster. Case in point: Brooklyn Beckham’s bombshell exposé (aka Instagram story dump) in January, where he publicly cut ties with his parents, Victoria and David Beckham, and detailed years of their toxic behavior following his engagement to now-wife Nicola Peltz. That was more than one full month after the Great Instagram Unfollowing in December. And since his Valentine’s Day Instagram post was a little shady toward Victoria, I had a feeling new tea was coming. I could feel the rumbles.

Thankfully, Mother’s Day in the U.K. on Sunday forced Brooklyn’s tendency to air the family trauma on Instagram out of hiding, as he gave a public shoutout to his new mother-in-law, Claudia Heffner Peltz. Who didn’t get a mention, you ask? His mother, Victoria Beckham. On U.K. Mother’s Day!

In an Instagram repost of himself, Nicola, and Claudia at Claudia’s birthday party, Brooklyn wrote, “Happy birthday to the best mother-in-law. Love u so much and hope u had the most amazing day.” This could easily have been a text or a phone call. But he made the bolder choice while deliberately skirting any appreciation for his own mother. Why go public, Brooklyn?

Is it possible he’s still bitter over that alleged overly sexual mother-son dance? In his Instagram exposé in January, Brooklyn accused Victoria of hijacking his first dance with Nicola and dancing “inappropriately” on him, leaving the bride in tears during the reception at their wedding in 2022. This was just one nugget of the drama he revealed, but I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. It’s an image that is permanently seared into my brain.

Meanwhile, David posted an Instagram tribute to Victoria, writing, “You are an inspiration in all the ways a mum should be to our four amazing children. We love you so much, and I’m so thankful for the family we’ve created,” which he paired with a photo of Victoria when she was pregnant. You know, the good old days, before all the family estrangement! But the main reason Victoria did not get a shout-out from Brooklyn is likely because she’s blocked—as part of the aforementioned Great Instagram Unfollowing of December, in which the youngest Beckham, Cruz, revealed that Brooklyn blocked the whole family on Instagram.

Someone tell the Beckham family that Instagram is a photo-sharing app, not a platform for their mutual destructive psychological shade-warfare. Or don’t! Either way, I’ve got my popcorn ready.