Call her pissed: Alex Cooper offered her first substantive public comments regarding claims that her company has a toxic workplace.
The popular podcaster and media mogul commented Wednesday about allegations that Unwell “fosters a toxic work environment.” Earlier this month, a Vanity Fair report citing more than 40 sources alleged that Matt Kaplan — Cooper’s husband and Unwell business partner — was verbally abusive to staffers (who accused Kaplan of screaming, asking about their sex lives and making inappropriate comments about their physical appearance). In April, a Bloomberg report similarly claimed that Kaplan would berate the staff.
Cooper was asked about the reports during a conversation with The Wall Street Journal advertising editor Suzanne Vranica at Cannes.
“I will say that building a startup, there is so much growth that comes with that, and I am extremely proud of what we have built at Unwell,” the Call Her Daddy host said. “And I will just kind of leave it at ‘don’t believe everything that you read on the internet’ — but I think everyone knows that at this point.”
Vranica noted the stories clearly indicate “some employees that feel some way” and pressed: “Do you think these allegations are a statement [that’s] more about how this generation of employees’ expectations have just changed? Or do you think you have a real problem?”
“I think that we have done a really incredible job at Unwell, and I think if you walk the halls, there are so many people that are so happy to work at this company,” Cooper replied. “I think, unfortunately, being a woman in this industry is extremely difficult because you’re held to a complete different standard. Whether it’s a smear campaign being created for someone’s narrative — whatever it be.”
“I think when you read lies about yourself to fuel something else that is an obvious situation going on, it’s hard. But I think the reason that I’ve had success in this industry is I have really thick skin, and I’m going to keep pushing forward,” she concluded.
Cooper and Kaplan wed in 2024 and, in May, announced they are expecting their first child. Call Her Daddy was the fourth most popular podcast in the world in 2025, according to Spotify’s year-end list. Cooper struck a $125 million multiyear deal in 2024 to bring her podcast and the network to SiriusXM from Spotify.
