Social media is officially on fire. What started as a quiet business breakup between “Call Her Daddy” host Alex Cooper and influencer Alix Earle has exploded into a full-blown public feud — dragging in Barstool’s Dave Portnoy, podcaster Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia and even a fast food chain.
Cooper and Earle were once on solid footing. Earle launched her “Hot Mess” podcast in September 2023 under Cooper’s Unwell Network, but the partnership came to an abrupt end in February 2025 when the podcast was dropped.
“Obviously, there’s been a lot of chatter online this week about me and work. And I also have no idea what’s going on,” Earle said in a TikTok at the time. “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, but I’ve loved it so much, and I’m really proud of what I built with the podcast.”
A source told Us Weekly in April 2026 that “Hot Mess” was “dropped because her fan base did not translate to viable listenership” and “did not have the listenership to allow the podcast to continue.”
Keep scrolling for all the details on what’s going down:
Alix Earle’s ‘Grim Reaper’ Repost Reignites Her Feud With Alex Cooper
On April 9, 2026, Alix Earle reposted a TikTok calling Alex Cooper the “Grim Reaper,” sending the internet into a frenzy with speculation about their rift.
Alex Cooper Calls Out Alix Earle on TikTok
Alex Cooper posted a TikTok on April 13, 2026, directly addressing Alix Earle — and she did not hold back.
“Hey, girl. The passive aggressive reposts and the ‘likes’ and the commenting on things, I gotta call you out here,” Cooper said. “Just say what you gotta say about me. There’s no NDA and no one is stopping you. Stop hiding behind other people and just say it yourself. What’s the beef?”
Cooper added, “I’m really tired of waking up and seeing you using this fake drama to distract from other s*** going online for you. Not interested. I know what happened and so do you. So talk. Unless the fake narrative that you’re creating happens to be way more interesting than the truth. I have nothing to hide when it comes to you and me.”
Earle replied in the comments: “OK on it!!” The next day, she shared a video of the moment her friends woke her up after Coachella to show her Cooper’s clip. “That just literally made my morning,” Earle said with a smile.
Brianna ‘Chickenfry’ LaPaglia and Dave Portnoy Jump Into Alex Cooper Drama
The feud widened when Barstool podcaster Brianna “Chickendry” LaPaglia publicly sided with Alix Earle. This prompted Alex Cooper to release alleged private DMs between herself and LaPaglia on April 15, 2026.
“This girl on girl s*** needs to stop,” Cooper wrote via her Instagram Story. “While Alix tries to get her story together, let me address Brianna Chickenfry who is adding onto the fake narrative and dog pile.”
LaPaglia fired back on TikTok. “From what Alix Earle told me, Alex Cooper is a very, very mean person,” she claimed.
Dave Portnoy then jumped in to defend LaPaglia, sharing details about an alleged conversation with Cooper regarding signing Grace O’Malley to Unwell. He claimed he and Cooper reached an agreement, saying, “Maybe I was like, ‘I’ll go ballistic if you do that.’ Maybe. ‘Cause I was protecting Bri a little bit.”
Carl’s Jr. Backs Alix Earle as the Beef Gets Literal
Even brands got pulled in. Carl’s Jr., who collaborated with Alix Earle on multiple Super Bowl commercials, threw support behind Earle.
“While there seems to be plenty of beef circulating online lately, we promise ours is the juiciest. Alix’s authentic style was the perfect fit for our campaign,” a company spokesperson told Us Weekly.
At the time of Earle’s 2025 Super Bowl commercial with Carl’s Jr., there was speculation that Alex Cooper originally wanted the gig. However, Dave Portnoy insisted that Cooper told him, “If I had a gun to my head and 10 million dollars in a bag, I would not have done that Carl’s Jr. ad.”
Will the Drama Play Out on Earle’s Reality Show?
Ahead of her family’s new Netflix series, Earle Meets World, Earle teased how her feud with Cooper played out on camera.
“It’s something I’m going to talk about on the show,” she said during a July 2026 interview with TIME. “That was one of the things in the beginning they wanted me to talk about, and I really wasn’t comfortable sharing.”
However, when “everything unfolded” online, Earle changed her tune.
“There was a serious struggle behind the scenes of emotions, and my family showed up for me,” she explained. “Those moments that sometimes seem so fun for people online, but are hard behind the scenes — I am happy that we were able to capture that.”
This story was compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists.
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