What started as a promising creator partnership in August 2023 has, by April 2026, turned into one of social media’s messiest public fallouts. Alex Cooper and Alix Earle were once positioned as a powerful podcast duo under Cooper’s Unwell Network. Now, their names are tied to reposts, callouts, alleged shade, and a widening circle of internet personalities weighing in. Here’s how the relationship unraveled, from the business deal that linked them to the drama now dominating timelines.
A Business Partnership Began The Story
The first major link between Alex Cooper and Alix Earle came in early August 2023, when Unwell Network announced Earle as one of its talents. The launch post read, “2 blondes walk into a boardroom… @alix_earle 🤝 @alexandracooper the world is not ready!!!” At the time, the collaboration looked like a natural fit between two huge online personalities.
Cooper also praised Earle in a statement, saying, “Alix Earle and Madeline Argy both have a unique presence that captivates an audience, but I love how they approach content in very different ways… I feel honored to be at a place in my career where I can pass along knowledge and advice for a new generation of creators to flourish.” One month later, in September 2023, Earle’s Hot Mess podcast officially launched under Unwell.
The first visible crack appeared in February 2025. Fans noticed Earle did not attend Unwell’s Super Bowl party in New Orleans, even though she was in town and still associated with the network. Before that month ended, reports via Variety surfaced that Unwell had dropped ‘Hot Mess’ and had “renounced all rights” to the podcast so Earle could “freely explore future opportunities.” Earle then addressed the chatter briefly, saying, “I also have no idea what’s going on.”
In March 2025, Earle confirmed the podcast was going on pause. She told followers via TikTok, “I have to put a pause on podcasting right now for the foreseeable future. I don’t really want to get into the details of it all, and I kind of can’t get into the details of it all right now, but I’ve loved it so, so much, and I’m really proud of what I built with the podcast.” Cooper later pushed back on assumptions that Unwell caused the break, writing, “I see ur comments. Alix not being able to podcast has nothing to do with Unwell. Idk why she can’t/what’s going on. Unwell gave her everything back she owns her IP.”
By May 2025, Earle suggested the story was still unfinished. Reflecting on the situation per WSJ, she said it “was, behind the scenes, a little bit of a hot mess,” before adding, “We have plans to bring things back, elevate things. It might look a little different, but I’m excited to see what we do with it.”
Alex Cooper Vs Alix Earle Turns Into Open Internet Warfare
The tension became harder to ignore in August 2025. Earle posted a TikTok teasing drama and wrote, “My Co–Star told me that I can start sh*t today.” She followed that with, “I mean, is this my time that I’ve been waiting for to go? It’s like, I have so much information. We could go.” When a commenter asked her to explain what happened with Cooper, Earle replied, “how much time do you have.”
Fans later believed Cooper clapped back in October 2025 through an Instagram caption promoting an Unwell Vegas event: “How much time do you have? Cause we could go all night😉” What had been rumor and fan speculation started to look a lot more personal.
Then came April 2026, when the feud exploded into the open. Earle reposted a TikTok criticizing Cooper, including the line, “[Cooper is] so awful and I wish that more women…would stop making [Call Her Daddy] their first stop after something happens in their lives because she is profiting off of women’s heartaches and failures.” Cooper responded directly in a TikTok, saying, “Alix Earle, hey girl, the passive-aggressive reposts and the likes and commenting on things. I got to call you out here. You’re going to need to get specific and just say what you got to say about me. There’s no NDA, no one is stopping you. Stop hiding behind other people and just say it yourself.”
She went even further, asking, “What’s the beef?” and accusing Earle of using “fake drama” as a distraction. Earle answered in the comments with a short but loaded, “Okay on it!!” She later posted a reaction video in which she said, “Wait, that just literally made my whole day.”
The situation widened again on April 15, 2026, when Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia became part of the mess. Cooper wrote on Instagram Stories, “This girl on girl sh*t needs to stop. While Alix tries to get her story together, let me address Brianna Chickenfry who is adding onto the fake narrative and dog pile.” Cooper also insisted, “I have never met you in my life. The only communication we have ever had together is through dm.” LaPaglia fired back on TikTok, claiming, “From what Alix Earle told me, Alex Cooper is a very, very mean person,” and later called Cooper’s posts “mean girl 101,” according to Teen Vogue.
By mid-April 2026, what began as a polished podcast deal had turned into a sprawling online standoff involving reposts, cryptic jabs, public statements, and outside voices adding fuel. And with Earle still yet to fully tell her side, the story appears far from over.
