The Unwell Network—Podcaster Alex Cooper's Company—Valued At $500 Million
A recent investment into the media company owned by “Call Her Daddy” podcaster Alex Cooper has valued the company at $500 million as it looks to expand its video and lifestyle businesses.
WTSL, a firm led by mega Hollywood talent agent Patrick Whitesell, invested an undisclosed amount that will allow The Unwell Network to expand its offerings targeted at Gen Z women, the company said.
Unwell, founded by Cooper and her husband Matt Kaplan in 2023, is home to a dozen podcasts and has produced several streaming series (like Netflix's "XO, Kitty" and two-part documentary on Hulu about Cooper's career) and sold-out live events.
Cooper in 2024 signed a $125 million, three-year deal to bring Unwell's podcasts, of which there were five at the time, to SiriusXM.
“Call Her Daddy,” Cooper’s podcast, is the most-listened-to podcast by women globally and has hosted guests like Michelle Obama, Kim Kardashian, Hailey Bieber, Simone Biles and then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
More than 600. That’s how many episodes "Call Her Daddy" has released since 2018.
The Unwell Network, billed as a talent and production company, is a subsidiary of Cooper and Kaplan’s broader Gen Z media venture, Trending. The pair self-funded the venture and folded Kaplan's existing production company, ACE Entertainment, into Unwell. The company's first major creator signings were TikTok stars Alix Earle and Madeline Argy, who launched the podcasts “Hot Mess” and “Pretty Lonesome,” respectively. Today, the company counts Microsoft, Disney, Meta, and Netflix alums among its roughly 100 employees and says it prioritizes "creator-led storytelling over traditional top-down media."
Unwell hasn’t come without its controversies. The most damaging allegations were published by Vanity Fair in June detailing claims of a hostile workplace and toxic culture from over 30 current and former employees. Workers described a hostile environment marked by "fear, anxiety, and paranoia" and alleged Kalplan used derogatory slurs, yelled at workers and made inappropriate comments to staff. Cooper was accused of running a "mean girls" company behind closed doors. The company also had a high-profile split with Alix Earle stemming from a seemingly personal feud that spurred several vague videos online and a parody on "Saturday Night Live." Talent representatives and industry insiders have also spoken out against Unwell’s contract terms, restrictive IP clauses and high turnover among company executives.
Cooper’s "Call Her Daddy" was launched as a sex-positive podcast under Barstool Sports and originally had a co-host: Sofia Franklyn. Franklyn left the show in May 2020 following a highly publicized contract dispute with Barstool founder Dave Portnoy and a falling out with Cooper. “Call Her Daddy” left Barstool for Spotify in 2021 in a deal worth an estimated $60 million—Spotify’s biggest exclusive agreement for a woman-led podcast to date. It’s now under the SiriusXM deal and is released across all major streaming platforms.
Cooper, a Forbes 30 Under 30 alumna, was ranked No. 5 on Forbes' list of top creators in 2025, with an estimated $32 million in earnings that year. She dropped off the list in 2026.