Media mogul Alex Cooper is reportedly shutting down her drinks brand, Unwell Beverages, nearly two years after launching the hydration product aimed at women.
Cooper’s company will release new Halloween-themed drinks later this year before ceasing “production across all of the brand’s line of beverages,” according to a Bloomberg report that cited sources close to the situation.
The Call Her Daddy host and Nestlé launched Unwell Beverages and its first electrolyte-focused line, Unwell Hydration, in early 2025. The range was expanded to different performance-focused drinks, including Unwell Focus, Unwell Protein and Unwell Energy.
Bloomberg reports that Target, Unwell’s main distributor, is selling through its stock. The Independent has contacted Cooper’s representatives, Nestlé and Target for comment.
Cooper had previously said she was inspired to launch the beverages arm of her business because she noticed that performance and hydration drinks were often catered to men.
Earlier this week, Unwell announced a strategic investment from the firm WTSL, valuing the business at $500 million.
In a statement about the investment, Cooper said the company is “scaling on all fronts, combining nimbleness, social-first premium content, and our understanding of culture to serve this highly influential audience.
“With WTSL’s backing, the company is now also poised to accelerate our media platform’s growth through acquisitions and investments,” she said.
In June, the podcaster spoke out for the first time regarding toxic workplace claims at Unwell, urging people not to believe what they read on the internet.
The 31-year-old had been embroiled in allegations of a toxic work environment after a Vanity Fair report cited sources who alleged that Matt Kaplan — Cooper’s husband and business partner — was contributing to a toxic workplace.
The report detailed allegations from 40 unnamed sources who were current and former Unwell employees, who accused Kaplan of yelling and making inappropriate comments at staffers, which led some junior employees to have panic attacks and anxiety.
In the report, a representative for the couple called the allegations “false and outrageous claims” amounting to a “meritless hit piece.”
Speaking about the claims, Cooper told The Wall Street Journal in June: “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.”
“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.”
Pressed further about the claims made by former or current employees, she said: “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.”
The podcaster added that being a woman in her industry is “extremely difficult because you’re held to a complete different standard.”
She continued: “Whether it’s a smear campaign being created for someone’s narrative — whatever it be.”
Cooper and Kaplan, a film and TV producer, co-founded their parent company Trending Media in 2023.
Beyond podcasting and beverages, the company has produced a string of TV and film releases, including the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special on Disney +, the Hulu reality series Love Overboard and the new Netflix dating show Let’s Marry Harry, starring Cooper’s friend Harry Jowsey.
Cooper rose to fame after founding the celebrity interview podcast Call Her Daddy in 2018. It has become one of the most-listened-to podcasts of all time, featuring celebrity guests including Kamala Harris, Kim Kardashian and Gwyneth Paltrow.
