When lifestyle influencer Alix Earle signed with Alex Cooper's Unwell Network in August 2023, it was a pairing that brought together two of media's fastest-rising stars.
Each had shown the capability of commanding a loyal audience: Earle on TikTok, where her videos regularly rack up millions of views, and Cooper on "Call Her Daddy," which catapulted her to the top of the podcast rankings and helped her start her own media company. Like Cooper, Earle would also have a podcast, this one called "Hot Mess."
The emergence of personality-driven podcasts as major cultural and media industry forces — ones not necessarily beholden to traditional media companies — had opened up opportunities for people like Cooper and Earle not just to entertain their young audiences, but to own them as well.
In an Instagram post announcing their partnership, Unwell Network wrote, "2 blondes walk into a boardroom … the world is not ready!!!"
About a year and a half later, the two are now embroiled in what has become a fevered internet drama, fueled by speculation around their business relationship and what might come next. Neither has commented on the situation publicly, leaving the kind of vacuum that social media can quickly fill with its own ruminations.
Fans of Earle and Cooper have for months documented what they suspected was a brewing situation. Each of them document their lives on social media, offering no shortage of chances for internet sleuthing. Cooper and Earle, who had been featured so prominently on each others' feeds, were starting to appear more distant.
That speculation went into overdrive this week when Variety, citing unnamed sources, reported that Earle's podcast had been dropped from Cooper's Unwell Network. A source with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed the podcast will no longer be on the Unwell Network.
The Unwell Network, as well as a representative for Earle and Cooper, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Cooper, whose podcast is among the most listened-to shows globally on Spotify, has continued to build her brand with Unwell Network, a subsidiary of the media company Trending, which she founded with her now-husband, Matt Kaplan. Her millions of listeners, nicknamed the “Daddy Gang,” consider her the go-to voice on relationships, dating and life in your 20s and 30s.
Earle exploded in popularity in 2023 while a student at the University of Miami by making viral “get ready with me” videos. She now has 7.3 million followers on TikTok and 4 million on Instagram.
Last year, she became one of the first influencers signed by Cooper for her Unwell Network, which has been marketed as a media and production company catering to Generation Z audiences.
At first, the partnership appeared to be a fruitful one — Earle was among the many social media stars who celebrated the launch of the Unwell Network with a massive multiday event at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, in March 2024. Videos of the two partying together were all over social media, with fans lining up for hours to get into the events held at the “Unwell House.”
But by February, many fans online had noticed a shift. Earle was notably absent from an Unwell Super Bowl party in New Orleans, despite being in town at the time. Instead, Earle posted vlogs of herself exploring the city with her friends and her boyfriend the night of the event.
It was enough to further fuel speculation in Reddit threads dedicated to “influencer snark,” or drama. Onlookers pointed out that Earle had also not been spotted at other Unwell events in recent months. The network also appeared to be promoting Earle’s podcast less frequently, fans said, despite having once frequently marketed "Hot Mess" across all its social media platforms.
This is also not the first time Cooper has been scrutinized over a business relationship.
The 30-year-old created "Call Her Daddy" with former co-host Sofia Franklyn. The two shot to viral fame in 2018, when the podcast was still under Barstool Sports. It became known for candid conversations about commonly taboo topics.
But the duo professionally split up in 2020. Cooper went on to host the podcast solo, and Franklyn launched her own podcast titled “Sofia with an F.”
Cooper has since interviewed a slew of celebrities and influencers, including Miley Cyrus, Paris Hilton, Zayn, Madison Beer and John Legend. Last year, she signed a new multiyear deal with SiriusXM, dropping Spotify as the show’s exclusive distributor. Terms of SiriusXM’s deal were not disclosed. However, numerous reports have suggested it was valued at more than $100 million.
Unwell Network’s talent signings include influencer Madeline Argy, reality star Harry Jowsey and actor Owen Thiele.
In the immediate aftermath of their rumored business split Tuesday, Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy posted on social media a screenshot of what appears to be a 22-minute call log with Earle, captioning it: “You can stop tagging me. I know what needs to be done.”
The cryptic post soon stirred speculation that Barstool would pick up Earle’s "Hot Mess" podcast — rumors that Portnoy quickly shut down, writing in a comment: “Update — I didn’t call her. I just thought it was funny.”
His post was a near-exact replica of one of Cooper’s posts from December, which she shared just before comedian Grace O’Malley left Barstool Sports for Unwell Network.
Earle has not publicly addressed any news about her podcast’s alleged break with its host network. But in a social media post Wednesday, she announced a new business venture: She’s investing in a new alcohol company in March.
“I guess the other part of this is it could completely fail,” Earle said in an Instagram video. “No, but what I’m trying to say is, like, it’s scary. I’m scared. I don’t know, you know, it’s a lot that goes into it, and having something start up is scary, but I believe in it and I believe in the team and the product.”