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Seven years into her career, much of Alex Coopers lore has been well documented.
Im not an OG Daddy Gang member, but Ive tracked Coopers goings-on for a few years now.
I clocked theVoguewedding article.
Watched some moments from the 2024 Summer Olympics.
I may not have known about “Slim Shady” or “Mr.
It would be simpleand frankly, uninspiredto chalk it up to being skinny and blonde.
Those things will only get you so far.
I needed to know more.
But I wasnt supposed to interview Alex Cooper.
What’s your superpower?
Trusting herself, Cooper intimates, is key.
I know what’s best for me.
Ive literally been on the phone I think with six people already this morning.
The energy is palpable.
Me volleying questions, and Cooper answering back like a non-stop game of pickleball.
Some may have found this to be overwhelming.
I found it to be exhilarating.
That’s all I want to do is create conversations.
Something Cooper said has stuck with me, and I replayed in my head for days after we spoke.
I think shes right.
We have had so many family members and friends who have lost everything, but we are fine.
We had multiple families staying with usit was chaos, but in a good way.
I felt like I was doing something on top of donating as much as I could.
It’s just been horrific.
I want to kick things off with everything you’ve got going on right now.
How would you describe this moment in your career?
My entire career has really been me making decisions for my audience, the Daddy Gang.
Its a dream come true that I’m now able to expand format wise.
Tell us a little bit about Unwell Music and Unwell On Air.
And I like to pregame with my friends to music.
Unwell On Air will be these live shows that are happening every single day.
The other show I’m very excited about is called “Dialed In.”
My audience will actually be able to call in and ask for advice.
How do you handle everything that’s on your plate at any given time?
I think most entrepreneurs can relate.
Technically, Ive waited so long to expand.
I’ve always wanted to do these things, but I think I’ve learned to be patient.
Dolce & Gabbana dress, sunglasses; Lie Studio earrings
You toldForbesthat you love pressure.
What do you love about pressure?
How do you not crumble?
I don’t know my life without pressure.
Ive always wanted to be the best because I’m just very competitive with myself.
I think I have this innate instinct within me; I literally get off on it.
Building this media companyI did not go to school for this.
He’s so creative, but we’ve had to decide when we overlap.
It’s this incredible creative session.
It’s a high, when as I call it with my team,we cracked the code.
We did it, we figured it out.
That’s my high.
What does turning off look like for you?
It’s something I’m working on constantly.
Interviewing someone feels like a literal muscle I need to flex.
So what I’m hearing is brainstorming is you turning off.
I know, I know.
This is my baby.
And you don’t really get to turn off when you have kids, right?
No, then it really ramps up.
So, this is my child.
When people ask that question, I’m like,Oh, well, what do moms do?
Well, I feel like I’m a mother right now.
How do you think that the people who work at your company would describe you as a boss?
I think they would probably say, I’m very intense and very specific about what I like.
They have shared with me that they appreciate that because I know exactly what I want.
I think they would say that I am kind.
I never wanted to work a corporate job, so I’m always going to keep the vibes high.
This is a startup at the end of the day.
I also recognize that everyone needs to look out for themselves.
I can help in any capacity, my door is always open in that sense.
I hope someone at my company eventually starts a company that is a competitor of mine.
If you’re not trying to take my job, then I don’t want you at the company.
Being a founder and a leader right now is political.
How do you handle that responsibility?
How do you feel your role in larger cultural change exists as a boss?
I’m not going to lie, it’s hard.
Our biggest goal for this past year was really having a cohesive culture.
But there’s still work to do.
You’ve acquired podcasts and you’re hiring people to start podcasts on the connection.
What are you looking for in the creators that you’re bringing onto Unwell?
I’m not someone that believes in just being a talent.
I’m not just interested in a podcast internet.
I want to help people build brands.
What does it say about our culture that certain people are rising and other people are not rising?
Do you think about that when you’re implementing policies within the company that you and Matt are building?
Alix and Madeline are such different creators.
With Alix, its interesting to think about her in a long-term format.
How does a girl not have a podcast?
You do have this secret sauce of course, and it’s led to an amazing amount of success.
I’m curious if you still feel that way?
In a different way.
I was more of a creator than a business woman.
Media is so hard.
It’s a job.
This shit is not for the weak.
I’m curious about who you go to for business advice.
Obviously Dave Portnoy, Barstool Sports.
But I’m more curious about who you’re going to for business advicenow.
Who’s the last person you called to ask them a question about business?
My CMO, TJ Marchetti, is such a brilliant marketing mind in terms of marketing.
It feels like it’s a male-dominated industry.
Who are the women in your life that you feel it’s possible for you to really lean on?
My main “Call Her Daddy” producer is my go-to every single day.
I’m speaking to this woman, and she is without a doubt, my right hand.
Our head of podcasting and the online grid is this woman Rory [Armstrong].
She is truly so brilliant in the way that she sees the evolution of this space.
Matt jokes, it’s Matt and TJand then it’s all women.
I want to talk shop about “Call Her Daddy” specifically.
I thought that was a really interesting word.
Why do you think they feel safe with you?
It’s very dehumanizing.
Almost like,Wait, I don’t even know if you actually knew my name.
Oprah was really the first person that was actually listening and sitting and having these in-depth conversations.
I’m curious though, what do you think people, journalists, the media get wrong about you?
I love to joke around.
I love to have fun.
I always joke to my friends,Imagine if I said that?I would literally be canceled.
I would be considered a bitch.
I would be considered an egomaniac.
Every room I’m walking into is like a DealBook, just filled with men.
Whereas if I’m at all complex, people see it as,She’s fake.
I don’t trust her.
You’re always compared to Howard Stern or Joe Rogan.
Are you tired of that comparison?
They’re diminishing women who have done this before and putting the men continuously on the pedestal.
It’s literally night and day.
Same with me and Howard Stern.
I’m not shitting on them.
I’m just saying it’s not even in the same realm.
So why am I constantly being asked if I think that I’m similar to men?
I want to ask you a question that you asked Jojo Siwa.
Why do you think people on the internet have such strong opinions about you?
I definitely think it goes back to what we were just speaking about.
Even saying this, if it gets clipped on TikTok, I know it will get probably shit.
But, I think people are very uncomfortable with confident women.
And I am not just saying men.
I think women are very uncomfortable, too.
They have been trained to not have a voice; you shouldn’t speak up.
That’s all I want to do is create conversations.
I hope I never shut up.
What do you do when your confidence falters, though?
I try as hard as I can to go back to my core values as a human being.
Let’s talk about money.
How has your perspective on money and worth sort of evolved over these last few years?
I didn’t intend to be a host.
I always wanted to be a director.
So, for a lot of my life money was not at the forefront.
At that point it was about just knowing your worth and fighting for that.
Now, I feel so fortunate.
Do you feel like you’ve made it?
Or what will need to happen for you to feel like you’ve made it?
Open my journal and you’ll read: Today, we made it.
Yesterday, we didn’t.
Tomorrow we’re fucked.
I go back and forth every day.
Being on the cover ofForbesis another one.
I don’t know if I’ll ever have the I made it moment in terms of creative capacity.
You alluded to this a little earlier, but I’m curious, what keeps you up at night?
I think it changes every week.
The creative also keeps me up at night.Is the product getting too stale?
Was that episode as good as it could be?
Last couple of questions: What’s the best piece of advice that you’ve ever received?
And whats the worst?
I’m going to be really honest.
I’ve never really taken someone’s advice and completely listened to it.
The worst piece of advice is probably that you could restart the show and IP doesn’t matter.
And I want to clarify, I don’t look back at that time anymore of cattiness.
I genuinely look back and I’m so happy.
I stuck to what I believed in during moments of people trying to convince me otherwise.
I always go back to that core of trusting myself.
And that goes back to the advice question.
One more question about the podcast specifically.
Who’s been your toughest interview?
I would say RuPaul because I wanted to impress my absolute queen.
I wanted so badly to have Ru love me.
I worked so hard in that interview to stay toe-to-toe with them.
I really wanted to garner the respect.
I knew that Ru would love the show, but they just had to have a good experience.
So what does being a mogul mean to you?
It’s being nimble.
It’s recognizing that my industry can turn on a dime.
It’s being inquisitive, but also sticking to what I believe in.
It’s being very, very determined while also maintaining a sense of calmness in absolute chaos.
I am trying to consistently also pave the way, like I said earlier, for authenticity.
I want to create new conversations.
I want to create new IP.
I want to create new ventures.
I want to expand.
I want to acquire, I want to do it all.
It all comes back to patience.
Calm down, Alex.
Interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
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