⚡ Quick Summary — What You Need to Know Right Now
Here is the full story in plain terms before we break it down.
Who: Alix Earle (TikTok creator, Hot Mess podcast) and Alex Cooper (Call Her Daddy host, founder of Unwell Network)
What happened: Earle joined Cooper’s Unwell Network in August 2023. By February 2025, Hot Mess was dropped. No one gave a clear explanation. Earle went quiet. Cooper said it had nothing to do with her. Then the receipts started arriving.
The key quotes — in order:
| When | Who | What they said |
|---|---|---|
| March 26, 2025 | Earle on TikTok | “I have to put a pause on podcasting right now for the foreseeable future.” |
| March 26, 2025 | Cooper on Instagram Stories | “Alix not being able to podcast has nothing to do with Unwell.” |
| May 22, 2025 | Earle to Wall Street Journal | “That was, behind the scenes, a little bit of a hot mess.” |
| August 1, 2025 | Earle on TikTok | “I have so much information.” |
| August 1, 2025 | Earle in TikTok comments | “How much time do you have?” (replying to a fan asking about Cooper) |
| October 2025 | Cooper on Instagram | “How much time do you have? Cause we could go all night” (Unwell Vegas caption) |
| March 23, 2026 | Earle on TikTok | “I was in the corner on the phone with lawyers trying to figure out what was going on.” |
How It Started: Alix Earle Joins Unwell Network in August 2023
To understand the fallout, you need to understand how promising the pairing looked at the start.
In August 2023, Alex Cooper launched the Unwell Network — a media company she co-founded with her now-husband, producer Matt Kaplan, under their parent company Trending. The vision was straightforward: sign the next generation of creator voices and build a Gen Z media empire.
Alix Earle was one of the first creators Cooper signed.
It made sense on paper. Earle had exploded on TikTok through her “get ready with me” videos during her time at the University of Miami. By the time she graduated in May 2023, she had millions of followers watching her narrate her daily life with the kind of casual, unfiltered honesty that most brands can only imitate. Cooper, 30, had done the same thing with podcasting — building Call Her Daddy into one of the most listened-to shows on Spotify before launching her own company.
Earle’s podcast, Hot Mess, launched in September 2023 under the Unwell banner. The show covered everything from friendships and family to relationship updates and life after college. SiriusXM handled ad sales. The match looked powerful.
For a while, it was. In March 2024, both women celebrated together at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas — the Unwell Network’s big launch event. Fans filmed them partying at the “Unwell House.” Videos circulated everywhere.
Then things went quiet.
Sources: Variety — Hot Mess dropped | NBC News / TODAY | E! Online — February 2025
The First Sign: Earle Skips the Super Bowl Party
Fans started noticing something was off long before any official announcement.
In February 2025, the Unwell Network held a Super Bowl party in New Orleans. Earle did not show up — even though she was in the city. That detail mattered to fans who pay close attention.
Instead of attending the Unwell event, Earle posted vlogs of herself exploring New Orleans with friends and her then-boyfriend, NFL wide receiver Braxton Berrios. The vlogs were cheerful. The absence was loud.
Reddit threads dedicated to influencer commentary flagged it immediately. People pointed out that Earle had been missing from other Unwell events for months. Photos and videos that used to feature both women together had thinned out. The warmth that had been visible in 2023 and 2024 was no longer visible.
A week later, the official news landed.
February 25, 2025: Hot Mess Gets Dropped
On Tuesday, February 25, 2025, Variety reported that Earle’s Hot Mess podcast had been dropped from the Unwell Network.
The report cited anonymous sources. A separate source with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed the news to NBC News. No one at Unwell, Earle’s team, or Cooper’s team released an official statement.
The terms of the exit were significant. SiriusXM — which had a content partnership with Cooper and sold ads for Hot Mess — would no longer sell ads for the show. More importantly, Unwell renounced all rights to Hot Mess entirely. Earle kept the name. She kept the IP. She could theoretically relaunch the show independently whenever she was ready.
That last point became a sticking card in the public narrative later.
March 26, 2025: Earle and Cooper Both Speak — But Say Different Things
On March 26, 2025, both women addressed the situation publicly. On the same day. And their accounts did not match.
Earle posted a TikTok video. She kept it vague. “I have to put a pause on podcasting right now for the foreseeable future,” she said. “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.” She said she loved the podcast and was proud of what she had built. She did not explain why she was stopping.
The words “I can’t get into the details” were noticed. You say that when a legal situation is still active.
Within hours, Cooper posted on her Instagram Stories. She wrote: “Hi 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.”
She also dropped a reference to how she had learned to handle creator-network breakups — alluding to her own 2021 departure from Barstool Sports. “Learned from the best,” she wrote.
That response struck many observers as defensive for someone who claimed to have no involvement. If you genuinely had nothing to do with it and didn’t know why she was stopping, you might stay quiet. Instead, Cooper went on Instagram Stories to push back — within the same 24-hour window as Earle’s post.
Sources: E! Online | Grazia Daily | AOL / People
May 22, 2025: The Wall Street Journal Interview — “A Little Bit of a Hot Mess”
Two months after the public silence, Earle gave her clearest account yet.
In a Wall Street Journal interview published May 22, 2025, she addressed the split directly. She did not go into specific detail about what had caused the breakdown. But she confirmed what many had suspected — that the separation had not been clean.
“That was, behind the scenes,” she said, “a little bit of a hot mess.”
She also added that it had taken time to fully reclaim ownership of her work: “It has taken some time to get everything back.”
That second line was important. Cooper had said publicly that Unwell gave Earle her IP back immediately. Earle was now saying the process of recovering her own content had been more complicated and drawn-out than that.
On the future of the podcast, Earle said she had plans. “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.” Her father and manager, T.J. Earle, told the same outlet that Alix “genuinely wants everybody that she’s doing business with to succeed” — which read as notably diplomatic language.
Sources: E! Online — May 2025 | Grazia Daily | Yahoo Singapore
August 1, 2025: “I Have So Much Information” — Earle’s Car Video
This is the moment that went everywhere.
On August 1, 2025, Earle posted a TikTok from her car. She referenced the astrology app Co-Star and said it had told her she could “start s–t today.”
“Lowkey, is this my time that I’ve been waiting for? I have so much information,” she said. “I wake up every day and I’m like, ‘What should I do Co-Star?’ And today, it’s like ‘Revenge.’ I don’t know if I should listen.”
She had 7.5 million followers. Most of them understood exactly who she was talking about without her saying a name.
Then a fan left a comment asking directly: “Yes tell us what happened with Alex Cooper.”
Earle’s reply was four words: “How much time do you have?”
That reply became the headline. It confirmed — without confirming anything specific — that there was a story. A real one. And Earle had not told it yet.
Sources: E! Online — August 2025 | People / AOL | NewsNation
October 2025: Cooper Posts the Unwell Vegas Video
By autumn, the subtext had become text.
In October 2025, Cooper posted a highlight reel from her Unwell Vegas live shows. The video itself was a celebration — music, crowds, the energy of a successful event. But the caption stopped fans cold:
“How much time do you have? Cause we could go all night 😉 UNWELL VEGAS BABY!!!”
Those first six words. The same phrase Earle had used in August when she implied she had damaging information about their split.
Cooper also chose Britney Spears’ “Circus” as the soundtrack. That choice caught attention too — because Earle had performed to that exact song for her Dancing with the Stars debut on September 16, 2025.
Was it a coincidence? Fans were split. Supporters of Cooper said she was just posting about her Vegas event and people were reading too much into it. Supporters of Earle pointed out that the phrase “how much time do you have” had already been publicly associated with their feud, and the song match was hard to dismiss.
Either way, the post generated exactly the kind of conversation that makes something go viral. Which, intentional or not, Cooper understood better than almost anyone in the creator economy.
Sources: Yahoo Entertainment | IBTimes UK | Yahoo Singapore
March 2026: Earle Goes on the Record About the Lawyers
In a March 23, 2026 TikTok, Earle gave the most specific account she had offered publicly.
She described the period immediately after the Unwell split while watching her younger sister Penelope, 11, compete in an equestrian event. She was physically present for her sister. But mentally, she was somewhere else entirely.
“I basically was kind of in a mode of, ‘What am I doing?'” she said. “I was in the corner on the phone with lawyers trying to figure out what was going on.”
The word “lawyers” confirmed what the May 2025 WSJ interview had implied. The separation from Unwell had not been a simple handshake and goodbye. Legal professionals were involved. The IP recovery Earle described as taking “some time” had not been resolved over an email.
Earle has since moved forward. She looked back on the period and told fans: “I think it was just a good reminder of being here and being like, ‘Oh!’ Like I’m sure this time next year, I’m gonna be like, ‘Wow, the things I was worried about — blast from the past.'”
She also confirmed she was feeling better after her late 2025 breakup with Berrios, and pivoted her content focus toward YouTube vlogs and the planned return of Hot Mess in a new format.
Sources: E! Online — March 2026
What the Insider Source Said
Throughout the coverage, one quote from an unnamed source in Us Weekly remained the most blunt summary of what happened:
“They’ve had a lot of drama between them since they decided to collaborate on Unwell. They clashed over business, and their friendship is over because of it.”
That account aligns with everything both parties said in their own ways. Cooper and Earle started as friends. They became business partners. The business broke down. And the friendship went with it.
Earle told the WSJ the IP recovery took time. Cooper said on Instagram she knew nothing about why Earle couldn’t podcast. Those two statements are hard to reconcile. Either the exit was as clean as Cooper described, or Earle’s lawyers would not have needed to be involved.
The full story has never been told in public. Earle’s “How much time do you have?” comment remains unanswered. The “so much information” she mentioned in August 2025 has not been released.
Who Are Alix Earle and Alex Cooper?
Alix Earle — born in 2000, grew up in New Jersey, went to the University of Miami on a business degree. She built her following during college through “get ready with me” TikToks — casual, funny, often filmed while getting dressed to go out. She graduated in May 2023 and has since built a brand that extends to brand deals, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit appearances, Dancing with the Stars Season 34, and the Hot Mess podcast. She has over 7 million TikTok followers. Her manager is her father, T.J. Earle.
Alex Cooper — born in 1994, grew up in Pennsylvania, went to Boston University. She launched Call Her Daddy as a co-hosted show in 2018, went through her own public network battle with Barstool Sports in 2021, signed a deal with Spotify, and eventually founded Trending and Unwell Network with producer Matt Kaplan, whom she married in 2024. Call Her Daddy is among the most listened-to podcasts globally on Spotify. She interviewed Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential election. Her docuseries Call Her Alex is available on Hulu.
Sources: NBC News / TODAY | The Sun | Grazia Daily
Full Timeline: Alix Earle and Alex Cooper
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| August 2023 | Cooper launches Unwell Network; signs Earle |
| September 2023 | Hot Mess podcast launches under Unwell |
| March 2024 | Both celebrate at SXSW “Unwell House” launch |
| February 2025 | Earle skips Unwell Super Bowl party in New Orleans |
| February 25, 2025 | Variety reports Hot Mess dropped from Unwell; SiriusXM ends ad deal |
| March 1, 2025 | Earle posts vague TikTok: “Obviously there’s been a lot of chatter” |
| March 26, 2025 | Earle announces podcast pause; Cooper denies involvement |
| May 22, 2025 | Earle tells WSJ: “Behind the scenes, a little bit of a hot mess” |
| August 1, 2025 | Earle TikTok: “I have so much information” / comment: “How much time do you have?” |
| September 16, 2025 | Earle performs to “Circus” on Dancing with the Stars debut |
| October 2025 | Cooper posts Unwell Vegas video with “Circus” + “How much time do you have?” caption |
| Late 2025 | Earle and Berrios break up |
| March 23, 2026 | Earle: “I was in the corner on the phone with lawyers” |
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened between Alix Earle and Alex Cooper?
Earle’s Hot Mess podcast was dropped from Cooper’s Unwell Network on February 25, 2025. Both women gave different accounts of what happened. Cooper said the split had nothing to do with Unwell. Earle said recovering her IP “took some time” and she was “on the phone with lawyers.” An insider told Us Weekly their friendship ended over a business clash.
What did Alix Earle say about Alex Cooper in the Wall Street Journal?
In a May 22, 2025 interview with the Wall Street Journal, Earle described her departure from Unwell as “behind the scenes, a little bit of a hot mess.” She also said it had taken time to get her content back, and that she planned to bring the podcast back in a new format.
What does “How much time do you have?” mean?
On August 1, 2025, a fan commented on Earle’s TikTok asking what happened with Alex Cooper. Earle replied “How much time do you have?” — implying the story was long and complicated. In the same video, she had already said “I have so much information.” Neither reveal came. Cooper later used the same phrase in an Instagram caption about her Las Vegas event, which fans read as a direct response.
Did Alex Cooper fire Alix Earle?
Variety reported in February 2025 that Hot Mess was dropped by Unwell Network. SiriusXM also pulled its ad deal. Cooper said publicly that she had nothing to do with Earle’s decision to pause podcasting and that Unwell returned all IP rights. Earle’s accounts of the separation suggest it was more complicated than that.
Is Alix Earle’s Hot Mess podcast coming back?
Yes — Earle has indicated the podcast will return in a new format outside of Unwell. In the WSJ interview she said “We have plans to bring things back, elevate things. It might look a little different.” In August 2025, she teased the return on Instagram with references to a “Hot Mess vlogcast” and “hot mess summer.” As of April 2026, no confirmed launch date has been announced.
Are Alex Cooper and Alix Earle still friends?
Based on publicly available evidence, no. An Us Weekly source said “their friendship is over because of it.” Neither woman has confirmed reconciliation. Cooper’s October 2025 Vegas post — using Earle’s exact phrase and the song from Earle’s DWTS debut — was widely read as antagonistic, not friendly.
This article is based on verified reporting from Variety, E! Online, NBC News/TODAY, The Wall Street Journal (as cited by E! Online, Grazia Daily, and Yahoo Singapore), People magazine, Us Weekly (as cited by Yahoo Singapore), IBTimes UK, NewsNation, Newsweek, Grazia Daily, Yahoo Entertainment, AOL, and The Sun. All direct quotes from Alix Earle are drawn from her TikTok videos, WSJ Magazine interview (May 22, 2025), and E! Online reporting from March 2026. All direct quotes from Alex Cooper are drawn from her March 26, 2025 Instagram Stories and October 2025 Instagram post. The Us Weekly insider quote is attributed as an anonymous source per the original Yahoo Singapore/Grazia Daily reporting. All alleged details about the legal and IP dispute reflect Earle’s and Cooper’s public statements and are presented as reported, not independently verified.
