On the internet, few women are more popular than Alex Cooper and Alix Earle. The two are famous in their own respects — Cooper as host of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast and Earle as a social media creator and one of TikTok’s “it girls” — and seemed to find a natural business alliance at Cooper’s Unwell Network back in 2023.
Now, amid anonymous sources telling Variety that Earle’s “Hot Mess” podcast is no longer with Unwell Network, it seems that business relationship may have severed. (A source with direct knowledge of the situation tells NBC News the podcast will no longer be on Unwell.)
So what happened with Cooper, Earle and Earle’s podcast? Here’s what to know.
Who is Alex Cooper?
Alex Cooper, 30, is a media personality and businessperson, known as host of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast. “CHD” is a top podcast with global listeners — the No. 2 most-streamed podcast on Spotify in 2022, 2023 and 2024, behind “The Joe Rogan Experience” at No. 1 — as Cooper books high-profile guests in a range of entertainment and news spaces. Last year, she notably interviewed then-Vice President Kamala Harris in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election, as well as Miley Cyrus, Anna Delvey, Amanda Knox, “Love Island’s” Rob Rausch, Chace Crawford and more.
Cooper has been at the helm of “CHD” since its inception in 2018, initially with a co-host, Sofia Franklyn, during the show’s time with Barstool Sports. Cooper and Franklyn parted ways after public fallout in 2020. In 2021, Cooper reportedly signed a three-year, $60 million deal to bring “CHD” exclusively to Spotify. When that contract expired, Cooper reportedly signed a new deal with SiriusXM for $100 million in 2024.
In 2023, Cooper launched the Unwell Network and announced at that time signings of social media creators like Alix Earle and Madeline Argy, according to Variety.
In 2024, she married producer Matt Kaplan. She journeyed her listeners through their romance after they met on a business call over Zoom in 2020, though she kept his identity private until their 2023 engagement.
Who is Alix Earle?
Alix Earle, 24, is a social media influencer who became a sensation for her “get ready with me” videos on TikTok during her time as an undergrad at University of Miami. She graduated in May 2023 and sat down with TODAY’s Donna Farizan for her first broadcast interview the following September. Today, she has more than 7 million followers on TikTok and 4 million on Instagram.
Earle was among talent who signed with Alex Cooper’s Unwell Network when the media company launched in August 2023. “Hot Mess,” Earle’s podcast with Unwell, debuted that September and has Earle discussing all parts of her life with her friends, family and boyfriend. (She and Miami Dolphins wide receiver Braxton Berrios have been dating since 2023.)
What is the Unwell Network?
Alex Cooper launched the Unwell Network in August 2023 as a subsidiary of Trending, a media company she founded with husband Matt Kaplan, according to a Variety report.
Today, Unwell has a portfolio of podcast shows hosted by internet personalities and creators. Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy” is among them, as well as Madeline Argy’s “Pretty Lonesome,” Harry Jowsey’s “Boyfriend Material,” Hallie Batchelder’s “Extra Dirty” and Queen E’s “Reality Recap.”
What happened with Alix Earle’s podcast?
Alix Earle’s “Hot Mess” podcast has been with Unwell since the media company launched in 2023.
On Feb. 25, 2025, Variety reported that “Hot Mess” will not be under the Unwell Network umbrella going forward, according to its anonymous sources. A source with direct knowledge of the situation tells NBC News the podcast will no longer be on Unwell. Cooper, Earle nor Unwell Network have publicly commented on the matter or the future of the podcast.
A day later on Feb. 26, Earle shared on her Instagram about a separate project in her future: She is investing in an alcohol company after she came across an opportunity last summer. Earle said she is keeping the name private until its launch in March 2025.
