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A simmering feud with mega-influencer Alix Earle isn\u2019t the only source of drama surrounding Alex Cooper\u2019s growing podcast empire.<\/p>\n
Lately, Cooper \u2014 the host of Call Her Daddy, the fourth-most popular podcast in the United States \u2014 has been grappling with multiple challenges inside her business, including employee turnover, a sputtering slate of shows, and discord between staff members and her husband and co-chief executive officer, Matt Kaplan, according to people familiar with the company\u2019s operations.<\/p>\n
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Alex Cooper and Matt Kaplan have been grappling with multiple challenges inside their business.Getty Images for Netflix<\/p>\n
Such issues are becoming more common across the creator economy as myriad hit performers from Jimmy Donaldson, aka MrBeast, to Ashley Flowers of Crime Junkie, and the trick-shot artists at Dude Perfect have begun to build diversified companies capitalising on their internet fame, while also running demanding podcasts or YouTube channels.<\/p>\n
In 2023, Cooper and Kaplan \u2014 a producer of more than 50 films and TV shows, including Netflix\u2019s To All the Boys franchise \u2014 co-founded Trending, an umbrella company housing the power couple\u2019s growing business ventures. Initially, the portfolio included Unwell Network, Cooper\u2019s burgeoning collection of lifestyle podcasts, and ACE Entertainment, Kaplan\u2019s production company. The idea was to take Cooper\u2019s audience of Gen Z women and speak directly to them, building content around their interests.<\/p>\n
Cooper and Kaplan began hiring dozens of employees to staff their business as they expanded into live events, TV series, a creative agency and physical products. Many of the new recruits were young adults who knew Cooper\u2019s show and were eager to be part of her company\u2019s festive aura while working alongside a woman they admired.<\/p>\n
Related Article In interviews with news outlets and on podcasts, Cooper described herself and Kaplan as driven entrepreneurs who expected employees to \u201cwork hard, play hard\u201d. At one point, she told Marie Claire that as CEO, her door was \u201calways open\u201d to employees and that she and Kaplan fostered a \u201cvery positive and safe\u201d environment for their young staff.<\/p>\n Cooper is often extremely busy keeping her show and other creative projects running, say sources who asked not to be identified discussing non-public information, leaving Kaplan to run most of the network\u2019s day-to-day operations. Along the way, he had earned a reputation for frequently yelling at staff members, the people said. The issues have grown so acute that crew members have threatened to walk off the job at film sets and live tours if he doesn\u2019t keep his distance.<\/p>\n The company declined to comment for this story.<\/p>\n Last month, Trending launched a program on YouTube called Unwell Winter Games in which influencers squared off against each other in events, ranging from tubing down a mountain to competing in the drinking game, flip cup. According to TMZ, there were some logistical problems during the run-up to the series, resulting in an influencer-contestant dropping out unexpectedly and being replaced at the last minute by a surprised member of the show\u2019s production team.<\/p>\n At another point during the filming, according to the people familiar with the events, Kaplan berated the staff on set and threatened to prevent them from ever working in Hollywood again if they messed up, resulting in a prominent, long-experienced crew member breaking down in tears. Crew members had filed complaints through the formal, on-set process and eventually told leadership they would quit if Kaplan didn\u2019t behave better, said the sources.<\/p>\n Some of the internal tension has spilled out publicly. In Call Her Alex, a 2025 Hulu documentary about Cooper\u2019s first live tour, the production manager threatens to quit at one point. In a subsequent scene, Kaplan chalks up the situation to the demanding work schedule surrounding the tour. But according to a person close to the conflict, the manager\u2019s concerns had much more to do with Kaplan disrespecting staff by yelling and swearing at them. The documentary also captured a frenzied environment as the company rushed to put together a live show.<\/p>\n In the past year, several high-level executives have left Unwell, including the company\u2019s head of brand marketing, head of the network \u2014 its second in three years \u2014 and chief growth officer. Cooper has said Unwell employs about 100 people. On LinkedIn, at least 20 have marked themselves as leaving in 2025 and 2026.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Unwell has struggled to increase hit programming beyond Call Her Daddy. In 2025, as part of a broader deal with SiriusXM Holdings, the company launched three original programs designed for an Unwell-branded satellite radio station. Less than a year later, all three were cancelled.<\/p>\n Related Article In 2025, Cooper\u2019s company also parted ways with Earle, the host of Hot Mess, the network\u2019s buzziest creative expansion. At the time, Unwell offered little explanation for Earle\u2019s departure. But recently, Cooper drew attention to the rift publicly. On TikTok, she said she was \u201ctired of waking up\u201d and seeing Earle spreading \u201cfake drama\u201d \u2014 referring, it seemed, to Earle\u2019s recent repost of a video criticising Cooper\u2019s podcast interviews. Afterward, Earle responded, \u201cOkay on it!!\u201d<\/p>\n The surprise salvo rattled the internet, drawing intense scrutiny by everyone from amateur online sleuths to the New York Times. Earle, through her publicity team, declined to comment.<\/p>\n These days, rather than building new programs from scratch, Unwell was focusing on acquiring existing shows, Cooper said in a recent interview with a podcast on her network. The shift means Cooper\u2019s team has entered a highly competitive market against well-established players who have larger budgets and fewer ties to any one individual star.<\/p>\n For now, Call Her Daddy continues to be Unwell\u2019s biggest program. Podscribe, a podcast data company, estimates most shows on the network receive under 100,000 downloads a month. Call Her Daddy receives an estimated 13.3 million.<\/p>\n Trending continues to release projects at a rapid clip. In the past month, it has launched several films and TV shows, including Love Overboard for Hulu, a dating competition series, the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special for Disney and a new season of XO, Kitty, a spin-off of Kaplan\u2019s original Netflix success. The series was No.1 on the streamer when it premiered in April.<\/p>\n Cooper\u2019s live tours have also been gaining traction with fans. Last year, she held a two-day festival in Las Vegas, complete with Chippendales dancers and a pool party with Paris Hilton spinning tunes as DJ. Three of her West Coast shows in 2024 grossed a total of $US540,000 ($755,000) with 9549 tickets sold, according to Pollstar. The company\u2019s ad agency has also picked up prominent clients, including Google, and Cooper has said sales in the department are nearly on par with revenue from podcasting.<\/p>\n Last week, Unwell announced it had hired new executive leadership, including Joanne Bradford, previously of Honey, an online shopping company, who will serve as president. Ellen Rocamora, who previously worked for more than a decade at The Ellen DeGeneres Show, has joined as an executive producer. The new team members will be tasked, in part, with helping Cooper as she continues to navigate new lines of business.<\/p>\n![\"Sometimes](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/752e277d777e0c49ef4615684d88cf075d59e6323de779996b57329ffa53cca2.jpeg\")
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Cooper hosts Call Her Daddy, the fourth-most popular podcast in the US, and is trying to grow her empire.Call Her Daddy<\/p>\n![\"Jack](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/c7ace7bd6eaf8f804fe588e1eec30d898fc639f2.jpeg\")
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Cooper is embroiled in a feud with social media influencer Alix Earle .Instagram<\/p>\n
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