It's been a while since we've had a major influencer scandal – one that goes beyond the typical cancellations and turns online drama into headline-making news. But right now, two titans of the internet are fighting. After more than a year of rumours, Alix Earle and Alex Cooper are finally publicly addressing speculation that their relationship has turned sour. Well, if pass-agg jabs and pointed reposts can genuinely be considered conflict resolution.
One thing's for sure: all niceties have now officially been thrown out the window, thanks to a TikTok video in which Cooper directly addressed online chatter around the Alix v Alex fallout. The gloves are off, and while we're yet to get a 43-minute play-by-play from either party, we're getting major “Bye Sister” vibes (the now legendary bust-up between Tati Westbrook and James Charles, for the initiated).
Still scratching your head over how Alix Earl and Alex Cooper went from friends to enemies? We've assembled a full timeline of their feud to get you up to speed. Grab a cuppa and get comfy. There's a lot to unpack…
September 2023: Alix Earle launches her Hot Mess podcast under Alex Cooper's Unwell Network
When Alex Cooper announced that Alix Earle was the first person to be signed by her newly-launched Unwell Network, it seemed like a match made in heaven: two next-gen media moguls joining forces to takeover our feeds. Cooper was already known for the Call Her Daddy podcast and, now, she was going to help TikTok connoisseur Earle enter the podcast space, too.
“Alix took the US by storm with her ‘get ready with me’ videos, college lifestyle, and endearing personality,” said Cooper in a press release. “I feel honoured to be at a place in my career where I can pass along knowledge and advice for a new generation of creators to flourish.”
February 2025: Alix Earle's podcast is abruptly dropped by Alex Cooper's network
Little over a year since its launch, Earle's Hot Mess podcast came to a sudden end with little to no explanation. News reports at the time simply confirmed that Cooper's Unwell Network had dropped the Hot Mess podcast and renounced the rights, meaning Earle could have technically continued creating episodes if she wanted to.
But even before this announcement, there had been rumours that the pair weren't exactly on good terms. Naturally, this professional split only fuelled the fire. “They’ve had a lot of drama between them [since] they decided to collaborate on Unwell,” one source told Us Weekly. “They clashed over business, and their friendship is over because of it.”
Another insider claimed that Earle's father had become embroiled in the situation, alleging that he “did not like what Unwell was doing. He ultimately thought it ended up not being a smart business move.” In the end, Earle felt “felt taken advantage of" and the rest is internet history.
June 2025: Alix Earle relaunches Hot Mess as a vlogcast
After a brief hiatus following her split from Cooper, Alix Earle took to social media to reveal a new vlogcast concept for Hot Mess. In a video announcement, she explained that it would be more like “Hot Mess, the show”. And while she didn't get into the specifics of why the original podcast ended, she did allude to some difficulties behind the scenes. “Putting pause on the podcast was not an easy thing. Everything does happen for a reason,” she said. “I was in a toxic mental cycle with the podcast, and I think breaking out of that and giving myself some time, I'm like, OK, we're just going to focus on giving you guys the best experience possible, get to know better and I'm so excited.”
October 2025: Fans accuse Alex Cooper of shading Alix Earle in an Instagram post
After Cooper and Earle parted ways in February, they both went on to achieve some of the biggest moments of their careers. Earle became a legit household name in America thanks to a phenomenal run on Dancing With The Stars, while Cooper continued to cement herself as Hollywood's favourite interviewer with podcast guests such as Kim Kardashian and Cardi B.
Surely that much success would make you forget the drama? Not quite. In October, Cooper posted a video recapping Unwell's megawatt live shows in Las Vegas, lip-syncing to Britney Spears' “Circus”. The problem? Earle had recently danced to the same song on Dancing With the Stars.
Of course, this could be a mere coincidence – who doesn't love a bit of Britney? But speculation was only further fuelled by the caption, which opened with “How much time do you have? Cause we could go all night😉”. This seemed to reference a comment under one of Earle's recent TikTok videos, in which the influencer replied to a request to spill the tea on Cooper with “How much time do you have?” Interesting…
April 2025: Alix Earle reposts a shady TikTok video about Alex Cooper
In a decidedly more direct jab, Earle stoked the flames of the rumour mill this month when she reshared a video by another creator who had some, let's say, fairly critical opinions about Alex Cooper.
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“I would honestly compare Alex Cooper to an ambulance chaser. Like, you just had the most horrific accident of your life, you’re hanging on by a thread, don’t know if you’re gonna make it, and she’s the first one there,” said @thebravomom on TikTok. "She wants to get the exclusive interview, she wants to be there when you’re vulnerable, when you’re broken down and you’re ready to sign over your rights to your life. […] She is profiting off of women’s heartaches and failures. That’s not girl power.”
April 2026: Alex Cooper addresses the drama in a video tagging Alix Earle
The most recent and biggest escalation in the whole saga came this week, when Alex Cooper posted a TikTok video directly addressing the drama – tagging Earle in the captions and speaking to her head-on. “Alix Earle, hey girl,” she began. “The passive-aggressive reposts and the likes and the commenting on things, I gotta call you out here, you're gonna need to get specific and just say what you gotta say about me.” She went on to clarify that “there's no NDA, no one is stopping you,” encouraging Earle to “stop hiding behind other people and just say it yourself.”
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Not one to shy away from the drama, Earle soon reposted Cooper's video and commented “Okay on it!!” Clap back video pending…
