Alix Earle said she has no regrets about how she handled feud rumors with Alex Cooper, telling E! News that her family helped her stay grounded during what she called "a really tough time."
The Earle Meets World star, 25, spoke exclusively to E! News' Erin Lim Rhodes at the premiere of her show in Los Angeles on Sept. 1, more than a year after her Hot Mess podcast was removed from Cooper's Unwell Network, sparking speculation of a rift between the two.
"I feel good about it," Earle said. "I know it's hard in the heat of the moment when you're so emotional about a situation, and then you have so many people also wanting to know what's going on. That was a really tough time for me."
She credited her family, including sister Ashtin Earle, parents Thomas Earle and Alisa Maniaci, and stepmom Ashley Dupré, with keeping her level-headed throughout the drama.
"I'm happy that my family kept me grounded and was like, 'Put your phone down. Don't do anything. Don't act out of emotion,'" Earle recalled. "You want to have a little bit more of a sound head on your shoulders. So, I'm happy with the way that I handled it."
Netflix Docuseries Revisits the Fallout
The dispute is explored further in a new docuseries that premiered on Netflix Sept. 4. In a confessional, Earle said Cooper was "trying to paint it as if I'm just this crazy lunatic who is hating her for no reason." She added, "There's a reason."
Cooper has accused Earle of pushing a "fake narrative" through reposts, likes and comments, urging her former client in an April 2026 TikTok video to "get specific and just say what you got to say," and noting that no NDA or anyone else is stopping her from speaking out.
Family Support Through BRCA2 Diagnosis
Earle's feud with Cooper wasn't her only challenge, alongside her breakup with Braxton Barrios. She and Ashtin also tested positive for the BRCA2 gene following their mother's breast cancer diagnosis, and the sisters leaned on each other through the experience.
"Oh, my God! I feel like I would freak out every five minutes," Ashtin, 23, told E! at the premiere. "I would call Alix, and I'd be like, 'I don't want to do it.'"
The family committed to being transparent about the process. "We all agreed that we were just gonna commit and be open and honest," Ashtin said. "So, I did it even though I had so much anxiety. I had a little bit of a vodka soda before, so it made me feel better."
She said she has no regrets about sharing her experience on the reality show. "I'm glad I did it. It was a fun experience," Ashtin said.
How the Feud Began
Cooper, host of Call Her Daddy, launched The Unwell Network in August 2023 and signed Earle as one of its first talents. "Alix took the U.S. by storm with her 'get ready with me' videos, college lifestyle, and endearing personality," Cooper said in a press release at the time. "I feel honored to be at a place in my career where I can pass along knowledge and advice for a new generation of creators to flourish." Earle's Hot Mess podcast premiered the following month.
In August 2024, as her Spotify contract ended, Cooper signed a deal with SiriusXM reportedly worth $125 million to bring The Unwell Network, including Call Her Daddy and Cooper's own Hot Mess podcast, to the broadcaster.
By February 2025, after Earle skipped Unwell's Super Bowl party in New Orleans despite being in town for the game, news broke that Hot Mess had been dropped by the company. SiriusXM also reportedly gave up its rights to the show and stopped selling ads for it.
Tension Spills Into 2026
In March 2025, Earle announced a "pause on podcasting" without explaining why. "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," she said in a March 26 TikTok, "but I've loved it so much, and I'm really proud of what I built with the podcast." Cooper quickly denied the split had anything to do with Unwell, writing on Instagram that Earle "owns her IP."
Earle stayed coy through the summer of 2025, telling WSJ. Magazine in May that her exit was "behind the scenes, a little bit of a hot mess," and responding to a fan asking about Cooper on TikTok that August with, "How much time do you have?"
The feud became public on April 13, 2026, when Cooper accused Earle of being "passive aggressive" in a TikTok video. "You're going to need to get specific and just say what you got to say about me. There's no NDA, no one is stopping you," Cooper said, adding that she was "really tired of waking up and seeing" Earle use "this big drama to distract from other s--t going online for you." Earle replied only, "Okay on it!!"
Chickenfry Weighs In
Two days later, Brianna "Chickenfry" LaPaglia, who co-hosts the BFFs podcast with Cooper's former Barstool Sports boss Dave Portnoy, publicly backed Earle. "I was a fan of Alex Cooper before I knew the wrath of f--king Alex Cooper," LaPaglia said in a TikTok video, "and what she does to people and how she treats people." LaPaglia claimed Earle had told her two years earlier that "Alex Cooper is a very, very mean person."
Cooper hit back the same day, denying she was a "mean girl" and writing on Instagram Stories, "The only communication we have ever had together is through dm," while posting screenshots of what she said were friendly past exchanges with LaPaglia, including swapped phone numbers and party invites. "What I just showed is the only interaction we've ever had. And you hate me?" Cooper wrote.
What Each Has Said Since
Earle avoided the topic during a May 12 appearance on Today, keeping the focus on her Sports Illustrated cover instead. "We don't actually have that much time here, honestly, and also, it's like, why ruin such a good day with something not so great," she said. "Let's keep the positive vibes going."
A day later, on the May 13 episode of Call Her Daddy, Cooper revealed she had deleted TikTok, saying misogyny on the platform had driven her off it.
