Key Takeaways on Complaints Inside Alex Cooper’s Podcast Empire
The host of Call Her Daddy has been grappling with multiple challenges inside her business, some of them brought about by her husband.
Alex Cooper’s podcasting empire Unwell is facing turbulence on several fronts. The host of Call Her Daddy, the fourth-most popular podcast in the US — is confronting employee complaints about her husband and business partner Matt Kaplan’s volatile outbursts and a public dispute with influencer Alix Earle.
This week, Unwell held an all-hands meeting to address staff over concerns about the startup’s show launches, employee retention and complaints about Kaplan’s behavior. Neither Cooper nor Kaplan attended.
Here’s what you need to know, if you’re just catching up.
Husband, Co-CEO Allegedly Screamed at Staff
Unwell is facing employee turnover, a sputtering slate of shows and discord between staff members and Cooper’s husband, according to people familiar with the company’s operations.
The business sits inside a company called Trending, which Cooper and Kaplan co-founded in 2023. It houses a collection of Cooper’s lifestyle podcasts as well as his production company, ACE Entertainment.
Kaplan, who runs day-to-day operations, has reportedly developed a reputation for yelling at staff members. The issues have grown so acute that crew members have threatened to walk off the job at film sets and live tours if he doesn’t keep his distance.
During the filming of the Unwell Winter Games for YouTube, Kaplan berated the staff on set and threatened to prevent them from ever working in Hollywood again if they messed up. A prominent, long-experienced crew member broke down in tears.
Others filed complaints through the formal, on-set process and eventually told leadership they would quit if Kaplan didn’t behave better.