Alex Cooper’s Unwell Beverages is reportedly shutting down less than two years after launching with Nestlé. The brand is expected to sell its remaining products, including a Halloween-themed release, before production ends. The news comes shortly after Cooper’s wider Unwell media company was valued at $500 million following a new investment, making the beverage closure a notable change for her growing business.
Why Is Alex Cooper Shutting Down Unwell Beverages?
Alex Cooper’s Unwell Beverages is reportedly coming to an end after less than two years on the market. According to a report by Bloomberg, the company plans to release Halloween-themed drinks later this year before ending production.
The brand launched in early 2025 through a partnership between Cooper and Nestlé, starting with Unwell Hydration. Cooper has said she noticed the beverage market was overwhelmingly built for men, telling Parade, “What about the women? What about us?”
Unwell later expanded into products including Unwell Focus, Unwell Protein and Unwell Energy. Target became its main retail partner, but reports indicate the retailer is now selling through its remaining inventory rather than bringing in more stock.
Cooper, Nestlé and Target have not publicly confirmed the shutdown, so the news currently points to a planned wind-down rather than an official announcement.
How Did Unwell Beverages Go From Big Launch to Shutdown?
Unwell Beverages launched with major backing from Nestlé and the built-in audience of Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy. The brand started with electrolyte drinks before quickly expanding into Focus, Protein and Energy products, with Cooper positioning it as a beverage line designed with women in mind.
That expansion doesn’t appear to have translated into a lasting retail business. Target, Unwell’s main distributor, is reportedly selling through its existing supply instead of restocking the drinks, a sign the brand is winding down after a short run, even though no single reason for the decision has been confirmed.
A large built-in audience clearly wasn’t enough on its own. Unlike a podcast, where people return because they enjoy the host and the conversation, drinks have to compete on taste, price, packaging, availability and repeat purchases and Unwell entered a market already crowded with established hydration, energy and protein brands.
What Does the Shutdown Mean for Alex Cooper’s Unwell Business?
The reported closure does not mean Alex Cooper’s wider Unwell company is shutting down. If anything, the timing shows the larger business is still growing.
Just days before news of the beverage wind-down emerged, Unwell announced a new investment that valued the company at $500 million. The funding came from WTSL, an investment firm led by entertainment executive Patrick Whitesell and backed by Silver Lake, and is expected to support Unwell’s growth across video, consumer products and other media ventures. Cooper and her husband, producer Matt Kaplan, launched the company in 2023 as a business built around the success of Call Her Daddy.
That makes Unwell Beverages a relatively small part of a much larger operation, the piece being cut while the rest of the business keeps expanding.
Still, the closure comes during a challenging period for the company. Former employees have reportedly made allegations about a toxic workplace, including claims involving Kaplan’s treatment of staff. Cooper and Kaplan’s side have pushed back against those claims and disputed the way the company has been portrayed.
Cooper has also spoken publicly about the controversy, defending the business and addressing the pressure that comes with running a rapidly growing company.
What Happens to Unwell Beverages Next?
For now, the reported plan is to sell the brand’s remaining products, including its upcoming Halloween-themed drinks, before production ends.
The closure doesn’t necessarily mean Cooper’s wider strategy has failed. It shows that even a company with a large audience has to decide which products are worth continuing and which aren’t. Cooper built Unwell around the idea of taking the audience Call Her Daddy created and turning it into a much bigger business. That strategy has already produced a podcast network, a creative agency, video projects and a company reportedly valued at $500 million.
The beverage line appears to be the one part of that experiment that didn’t last. For Cooper, the bigger question now is what comes next. With Call Her Daddy and Unwell‘s growing media operation still at the center of her business, the end of Unwell Beverages may simply mark a shift in where she puts her attention.
