The employees of podcast millionaire Alex Cooper’s company talk about the toxic atmosphere

Several former and current employees of the media company Cooper founded called Unwell have questioned Cooper’s public image and accused Cooper and his spouse and business partner Matt Kaplania42, about a hostile corporate culture.

Dozens of former and current Unwell employees, most of whom are women in their 20s and 30s, were interviewed for the Vanity Fair article.

According to the sources interviewed for the article, Kaplan, who is in charge of the company, has, for example, humiliated and threatened his subordinates, called them “less intelligent” and criticized their appearance. According to sources, Cooper has not interfered with Kaplan’s activities.

The toxic leadership style of Cooper and Kaplan has also been discussed Bloomberg.

American Alex Cooper is one of the most popular podcasters in the country and is the highest-earning woman in the world from podcasts.

For example, in 2021 Time magazine reported on the $60 million deal Cooper struck with Spotify. In 2024, Cooper signed a $125 million contract with a US media company with SiriusXM.

He is only ahead of him in the earnings of podcast hosts Joe Rogan.

Cooper founded Call Her Daddy podcast in 2018 by Sofia Franklin with. In the humorous podcast, Cooper and Franklyn answered questions from listeners about relationships and quickly gained a large audience.

In 2020, Cooper and Franklyn fell out over contract issues, and Cooper continued the podcast on his own. He has since interviewed influential guests on the program, among others Terrible Harris in 2024 and Michelle Obama in 2026.

In public Cooper is profiled as a feminist influencer and a leader who supports women.

“Of course I grew up admiring Alex Cooper,” says one of the Unwell employees interviewed by Vanity Fair.

However, according to former and current employees interviewed by the magazine, Cooper’s feminist image is in stark contrast to the reality behind the scenes.