Alex Cooper Addresses Unwell's Toxic Workplace Allegations

Pregnant Alex Cooper Slams Rumor She and Husband Matt Kaplan Are "Miserable"

Alex Cooper is sharing her perspective.

Following reports of a toxic workplace at Unwell, the media company founded by the Call Her Daddy host and husband Matt Kaplan—with him being at the center of allegations of yelling at staffers as well as instances of discussing inappropriate topics with employees—Cooper pushed back.

“I will say that building a startup, there is so much growth that comes with that, and I am extremely proud of what we have built at Unwell,” she shared in a June 24 conversation with the Wall Street Journal. “I will just kind of leave it at, ‘Don't believe everything that you read on the internet.’ But I think everyone knows that at this point.”

Allegations against Kaplan first surfaced in an April report from Bloomberg in which the outlet reported he had often yelled at staff. Vanity Fair also reported the claims in a June 12 article, noting that in addition to yelling at employees, Kaplan often discussed inappropriate topics with staff.

For her part, Cooper believes she and Kaplan have actually “done a really incredible job at Unwell,” adding, “I think if you walk the halls, there are so many people that are so happy to work at this company.”

“I think, unfortunately, being a woman in this industry is extremely difficult because you're held to a complete different standard,” she continued. “Whether it's a smear campaign being created for someone's narrative, whatever it be.”

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And as the podcaster admitted, she and Kaplan were not immune to the constant conversations.

“I think when you read lies about yourself to fuel something else that is an obvious situation going on, it's hard,” Cooper said. “But I think the reason that I've had success in this industry is I have really thick skin, and I'm gonna keep pushing forward.”

Cooper, 31, and Kaplan, 42—who are expecting a baby together—originally launched the Unwell Network in August 2023 as a production company catering to Gen Z audiences. The network was a subsidiary of their media company Trending, which in addition to Unwell also housed Cooper’s additional business ventures, as well as ACE Entertainment, Kaplan’s production company behind the To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before franchise.

The news of unrest within Unwell came on the heels of bad blood with Alix Earle, who previously had her podcast Hot Mess on the network.

Earle, 25, had alleged to WSJ Magazine in May of that year that her reason for leaving the company in March 2025 involved “a little bit of a hot mess” behind the scenes.

Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM

However Cooper denied that claim, writing in a 2025 TikTok comment, “Alix not being able to podcast has nothing to do with Unwell.”

Since going into business together, both Cooper and Kaplan, who wed in 2024, have often shared what kind of atmosphere they were trying to create at Unwell.

“We always say Unwell moves at the speed of a group chat,” Cooper explained to Fast Company in March. “Our competitive advantage over traditional media is that it’s never been able to have a two-way conversation. [We can], and that is something that I take pride in.”

In fact, she was hoping that brand could stand as “a testament to the idea that it’s okay if you are not perfect.”

“You don’t need to feel like there’s a standard you need to meet,” the podcaster explained. “You don’t leave feeling less-than. Because there are some brands right now that are still creating unattainable expectations.”

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