The carefully curated image of Alex Cooper and her husband Matt Kaplan as a thriving media power couple is now reportedly under strain. A public dispute involving Cooper has spiraled into deeper scrutiny of her personal and professional life. Fresh allegations about Kaplan’s behavior at their company have surfaced, raising questions about leadership, control, and the stability of an empire built on influence, ambition, and tightly managed public perception.
Alex Cooper’s Marriage Under Scrutiny as Allegations Surface
Trouble began when Cooper publicly addressed tensions with Alix Earle, but the spotlight quickly shifted to Kaplan. A Bloomberg investigation alleged that he “berated” and “yelled” at employees and even “threatened to prevent them from ever working in Hollywood,” painting a troubling picture of workplace culture at their media company, Trending.
Insiders say the backlash hits at the heart of Cooper’s biggest concern. “This is Alex Cooper’s biggest fear: bad press,” a source told the Daily Mail. “It matters to her. She wants to control the narrative, always. She is insecure and cutthroat all in one. She really doesn’t have that many friends.”
The controversy threatens to overshadow Cooper’s meteoric rise from podcast host to media mogul. After launching Call Her Daddy with Sofia Franklyn in 2018 and later taking full control following their 2020 fallout, Cooper built a lucrative empire through deals with Spotify and SiriusXM, reportedly worth tens of millions.
Her relationship with Kaplan, whom she met in 2020, became both personal and professional. By 2023, they had launched Trending together, followed by the Unwell Network. But according to sources, the partnership may not be as balanced as it appears.
“Matt pushes her to do things in her business,” the insider said. “She doesn’t have a manager. Matt is always in the room. Everything goes through Matt.”
Behind Closed Doors, Tension Reportedly Builds
While the couple’s public image suggests unity, insiders claim strain has been building privately. “There’s a lot of tension in their marriage right now,” a source revealed, adding that they no longer share a bedroom. “Matt fully courted Alex and was so sweet with her in the beginning. Once they moved in together, that’s when things changed.”
Concerns about mixing business and romance have also emerged. “Those close to Alex wondered why she got engaged so quickly before the Unwell deal was done,” the source said. “Now they see it. Matt is too intertwined with Unwell.”
The Bloomberg report further detailed internal unrest, citing incidents where Kaplan allegedly “berated the staff on set” and reduced employees to tears. Another source claimed a production manager nearly quit during a 2023 tour because Kaplan was “disrespecting staff by yelling and swearing at them.”
Even outside the company, troubling accounts have surfaced. Job candidate Courtney Babbin described her interview with Kaplan as “the most uncomfortable two hours of my life,” alleging he asked “inappropriate” personal questions. Reflecting on the experience, she added, “If my interview is that rough, I could only imagine what happens behind closed doors.”
Despite these claims, Cooper’s direct involvement in day-to-day operations appears limited. According to Bloomberg, she is “often extremely busy keeping her show and other creative projects running,” leaving Kaplan to oversee much of the business.
Still, the scale of their ambitions may be adding pressure. From live events and reality programming to branded merchandise and beverages, their ventures continue to expand rapidly. As Babbin put it, “They’re trying to do everything.”
She added, “They want to do a full takeover. I think that is inevitably [going] to cause a little bit of chaos and failure.”
With high-profile departures of executives and growing scrutiny of workplace culture, the future of their joint empire remains uncertain. For Cooper, who has built a career on controlling narratives, this moment may prove to be her most unpredictable yet.
