Alex Cooper has transformed Call Her Daddy from a breakout podcast into the foundation of a much larger entertainment business, and her company has now reached another major milestone. Unwell, the media company Cooper co-founded with producer Matt Kaplan, has secured its first outside investment at a $500 million pre-money valuation.
The investment comes from WTSL, the media, entertainment and sports investment firm led by Hollywood executive Patrick Whitesell and Jason Lublin and backed by private equity firm Silver Lake. The exact amount invested has not been disclosed, meaning the deal does not mean Cooper personally received $500 million or that Unwell was sold for that amount. Instead, the valuation represents what the company was considered worth immediately before the new capital entered the business.
The deal is significant because Unwell had been largely self-funded by Cooper and Kaplan since its launch in 2023. The company has also been profitable since its launch, making the new financing a growth investment rather than simply a rescue effort.
Alex Cooper Plans to Expand Unwell Beyond Podcasts
While Call Her Daddy remains Unwell’s biggest name, the company has expanded into a broader media operation. Its portfolio includes more than a dozen podcasts, film and television projects, live programming, consumer products and a creative agency.
Cooper described the company’s strategy in a statement, saying:
“We’re scaling on all fronts, combining nimbleness, social-first premium content, and our understanding of culture to serve this highly influential audience.”
She added that WTSL’s backing would allow Unwell to accelerate its growth through acquisitions and investments. Cooper has said the company reaches around 70 million women each month, while Deadline has reported that Unwell’s audience is heavily concentrated among Gen Z women.
The company is also benefiting from Kaplan’s Hollywood background. Through his production company ACE Entertainment, Kaplan has been behind projects including Netflix’s To All the Boys franchise and XO, Kitty. That gives Unwell an avenue to develop intellectual property across multiple formats instead of relying exclusively on podcast advertising.
WTSL Sees Unwell as a Larger Media Platform
For Whitesell, the investment appears to be a bet on Cooper’s ability to turn a powerful creator audience into a diversified entertainment company.
“Alex, Matt, and the team have demonstrated an exceptional ability to anticipate where audiences are headed and create entertainment experiences that resonate deeply,”
Whitesell said. He added that Unwell’s audience connection and cultural relevance put the company in a strong position to influence the future of media.
WTSL has experience investing in creator-led and sports media businesses, including Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions, which was valued at more than $750 million in a previous investment. The firm’s involvement gives Unwell not only additional capital but also access to industry relationships and strategic expertise.
Unwell’s Next Phase Comes With Challenges
The $500 million valuation arrives during a complicated period for Cooper’s business empire. Unwell’s beverage operation is reportedly being shut down after less than two years, while the broader company has faced scrutiny over workplace allegations involving Kaplan. Cooper and Kaplan have disputed aspects of the criticism surrounding the company’s workplace culture.
Cooper has also recently left United Talent Agency as Unwell prepares for its next stage of expansion, with reports linking her to rival agency CAA. The move comes shortly after the WTSL investment and as Unwell seeks to operate across an increasingly broad range of entertainment businesses.
For Cooper, the new valuation represents a remarkable evolution from the podcast that launched her career. After Call Her Daddy helped lead to a reported $60 million Spotify deal in 2021 and a SiriusXM agreement reportedly worth up to $125 million in 2024, Unwell now has an outside investor valuing the larger company at half a billion dollars.
