Alex Cooper Denies Unwell Toxic Workplace Allegations

Alex Cooper has denied allegations that her Unwell media company fosters a toxic work environment, responding to a Vanity Fair exposé by telling readers, “Don’t believe everything that you read on the internet.” In a sit-down interview with The Wall Street Jou

Alex Cooper didn’t spend long tiptoeing around the allegations.

In a direct pushback against claims that her Unwell media company had turned into a toxic workplace, the “Call Her Daddy” podcast host said, “Don’t believe everything that you read on the internet.”

The remarks came after earlier this month’s Vanity Fair exposé. a lengthy report that cited 40 sources. including 30 former or current Unwell employees. who claimed Cooper’s company had become a toxic workplace. One former Unwell freelancer told Vanity Fair that Cooper’s husband. Matt Kaplan. “creates the most toxic work environment that I’ve ever seen.”.

That freelancer alleged that Kaplan “will scream the worst things and say the nastiest things to you,” while Cooper would be there “next to him, not defending anyone.”

In a 30-minute sit-down interview with The Wall Street Journal’s Suzanne Vranica, Cooper disputed the allegations against her, her husband, and the work environment at Unwell. She framed her response around what she says she’s building and what she believes is being distorted online.

“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. ” Cooper said. then added. “I will just kind of leave it at. ‘Don’t believe everything that you read on the internet.’ I think everyone knows that at this point.”.

When Vranica pressed further, Cooper argued that the day-to-day reality inside Unwell doesn’t match the portrayals in the reporting. “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. ” she said.

She also tied the criticism to the pressures she says women face in the entertainment industry. “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.”.

Cooper said the impact of the allegations is made worse when she views them as outright falsehoods. “I think when you read lies about yourself to fuel something else that is an obvious situation going on. it’s hard. ” she said. She closed by pointing to her own resilience. telling Vranica. “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.”.

The stakes of the dispute are personal as well. Cooper is currently pregnant with her and Kaplan’s first child together.

Vanity Fair’s earlier Unwell exposé. published in June. said some sources it interviewed claimed Kaplan had been heard calling certain employees “stupid” and “retarded.” The report also alleged that Kaplan threatened to negatively impact some employees’ future careers. One source quoted in that reporting pushed back on Cooper’s public image. telling Vanity Fair. “What I found is. behind the scenes. there’s this man. her husband. running around wreaking havoc and making people cry. cower [in] fear.”.

For Cooper, the message in the new interview was blunt: she rejects the characterizations, stands by Unwell, and urges readers not to treat the internet’s most damaging claims as settled truth.

Alex Cooper Call Her Daddy Unwell Matt Kaplan Vanity Fair toxic workplace allegations podcast host Wall Street Journal Suzanne Vranica