Alex Cooper is making a major change to the business structure surrounding her media empire.
The “Call Her Daddy” podcast host has reportedly parted ways with UTA as she expands Unwell beyond podcasting, while tensions involving prominent figures in her orbit appear to have complicated the relationship.
The move comes alongside a broader push into television, film, live events and branded work, giving Cooper a potentially much larger business to manage.
Alex Cooper is stepping away from her talent agency, UTA, as her focus increasingly shifts from traditional talent representation to building Unwell into a broader media company.
As Variety reported, three people familiar with the matter said the 31-year-old had left the agency, while a representative for Unwell confirmed that the company ended its relationship with UTA on July 27.
The agency had been part of Cooper’s rise, helping develop her profile and negotiate major opportunities, including interviews she hosted for Peacock during NBCUniversal’s coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
However, the priorities surrounding Cooper’s career have changed considerably since then. One source familiar with the situation claimed the media personality had become frustrated with UTA’s continuing relationships with Alix Earle and Dave Portnoy, two personalities who have feuded with her.
According to the source, Cooper had pressed the agency to end its relationship with Earle. The dispute has not been presented as the sole reason for Cooper’s departure. However, the broader expansion of Unwell is now a major focus.
The company has moved into television, film, live events and creative agency work, while Cooper and her husband, Matt Kaplan, continue to hold a majority stake.
The bigger story surrounding Alex Cooper is what she is building outside the podcasting world. Unwell has been expanding its slate of projects, including “Unwell Winter Games,” a reality competition series that will bring 16 contestants to “a luxury chalet in Park City, Utah” for “mental and physical challenges over four days.”
The company is also producing “Icebreaker,” a Netflix series based on Hannah Grace’s novel, while veteran marketing executive Joanne Bradford has joined Unwell as president.
That expansion received a significant boost from Patrick Whitesell, the former executive chairman of Endeavor and WME co-founder. His investment firm, WTSL, invested an undisclosed amount in Unwell, with the company releasing information on August 12 valuing the business at $500 million.
Cooper and Kaplan retain majority ownership of the company, which they originally self-funded after its formation in 2023. Unwell says it has been profitable since its launch and considers the WTSL deal growth capital.
The company is also targeting traditional media and advertising organizations, with WTSL offering “deep strategic expertise, industry relationships and a proven track record of supporting some of the most innovative companies and storytellers in media,” including Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions.
Alex Cooper Faces Questions About Unwell As Expansion Accelerates
The rapid growth of Cooper’s company has unfolded alongside uncomfortable questions about what it is like to work inside Unwell.
A June Vanity Fair investigation included an allegation from a freelancer who said Kaplan “creates the most toxic work environment that I’ve ever seen.”
Anonymous sources also alleged that Kaplan questioned employees about their sex lives and commented on their physical appearance.
Bloomberg had previously reported that Kaplan “has earned a reputation for frequently yelling at staff members” and that employees were “looking for the exit.”
Cooper addressed the criticism during a Wall Street Journal interview at Cannes Lions in June, where she declined to delve into the specific allegations. “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,” she said.
She also stood behind the company and its employees, saying, “I think that we have done a really incredible job at Unwell, and I think if you walk the halls, there are so many people that are so happy to work at this company.”
Cooper’s Unwell Expansion Gets A Reality TV Test With Harry Jowsey
Alex Cooper’s push to make Unwell more than a podcast company is already taking shape on Netflix, where her latest project has put her in a very different position behind the scenes.
Cooper serves as an executive producer on “Let’s Marry Harry,” the dating series starring Harry Jowsey.
The Netflix series follows 20 women competing for Jowsey’s hand in marriage over five weeks, with people close to him, including Cooper, helping guide him through the experience.
Speaking about his experience while filming, Jowsey told Page Six Radio that living alongside all the contestants made filming “overwhelming,” particularly because the women were constantly trying to pull him aside for conversations.
“It was a lot,” he admitted. “They’re always trying to pull you for a chat, and I’m the only one. So, it was a lot the whole time.” He even joked, “I don’t know how ‘The Bachelor’ does 30 [women].”
While Cooper is expanding her career into new areas, an old chapter has also returned to the conversation after Portnoy made explosive claims about the circumstances surrounding her departure from Barstool Sports.
Portnoy addressed the former “Call Her Daddy” host in his memoir, “Cancel Me If You Can,” alleging that Cooper and her former co-host Sofia Franklyn had discussed using false sexual-harassment accusations as a way to escape their contract.
When Cooper was confronted about the allegation during a CNBC interview, she did not offer a detailed account of what happened.
Instead, she acknowledged the complicated history between herself and Portnoy while making clear that she remembered events differently.
She also explained that she had not read Portnoy’s memoir, although she had seen herself being discussed online.
When asked whether she wanted to give her version of the story, Cooper declined. “No. I’m in my mother era. I’m no drama right now. We’re here to talk business,” she said.
