I cover the creator economy at Like & Subscribe, a standalone Ankler Media newsletter that’s being sampled today for paid subscribers to The Ankler. I wrote about professionals cashing in as mid-level creators, spoke to two Chernin Group partners about the firm’s bet on creator-led empires and interviewed the co-hosts of TBPN. I’m natalie@theankler.com
It’s the question everyone is asking: What’s behind the feud between Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper and mega-influencer Alix Earle really about?
Whispers of bad blood between the former business partners have been in the air ever since February 2025 when Cooper’s podcast network, Unwell, parted ways with Earle and gave her the rights back to her buzzy young podcast, Hot Mess. But the story broke containment two weeks ago when Cooper posted a TikTok calling on Earle to “get specific and just say what you gotta say about me.”
For the last three years, Cooper, 31, has pitched Unwell as a network home for emerging stars looking to leverage her fame and success as a funnel to build thriving careers of their own. When she launched Unwell in 2023, she said the network would allow her to “pass along knowledge and advice for a new generation of creators to flourish.”
Now, I can reveal I’ve seen one of Unwell’s podcast contracts — and spoken with multiple sources familiar with the company’s deals — and the terms better explain what is really happening behind the scenes. Multiple sources tell me that some talent reps are steering their clients away from podcast deals with Unwell.
Reports have also surfaced about an unhealthy work environment at the company, which Cooper co-leads with her husband, Matt Kaplan, and that Unwell has struggled to produce clear hits beyond Call Her Daddy amid frequent executive turnover. One rep — who, like all of the people I spoke with for this story, requested anonymity — says he wouldn’t want any client with potential to work with Unwell “because it would drag them down.”
Ouch.
Today, I’ve got an inside look at the challenges facing Unwell — and the stark reality of trying to scale a creator-led network beyond a single superstar.
Here’s what I found:
- Why some talent reps are quietly telling clients to pass on Unwell deals
- The 50-50 split that isn’t, and the IP clause every rep should fight to amend
- The Dave Portnoy line Cooper used to wrap up the Alix Earle exit
- Call Her Daddy’s 2.1 million YouTube subscribers vs. Unwell’s 71,000 — and the hosts who feel the difference
- The exec reshuffle — and Cooper’s pivot from launching shows to acquiring them
- The pitch meeting Cooper and Kaplan asked a partner to hide from their reps
- Where Cooper shows up — and the Hulu reality series she never visited on set
Don’t stop here
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