Alex Cooper

Cooper was raised in Newtown, Pennsylvania, as the youngest of three children. Her mother, Laurie Cooper, is a psychologist, and her father, Bryan Cooper, is a television sports producer associated with the Philadelphia Flyers. She attended St. Andrew's Catholic School and The Pennington School in New Jersey, where she became a standout soccer player and co-captain of her team.

She enrolled at Boston University in 2013, studied film and television, and played Division I soccer for the Boston University Terriers. Cooper appeared in 61 games during the 2013-2015 seasons and scored one goal. She did not play her senior season after alleging that her coach, Nancy Feldman, sexually harassed her over several years. Cooper later detailed the experience in the documentary Call Her Alex, and Boston University hired an external legal team to review athletic department policies after the documentary's release.

After graduating from Boston University's College of Communication in 2017, Cooper moved to New York City and worked in advertising. In 2018, she and her roommate Sofia Franklyn created Call Her Daddy, a podcast centered initially on relationships, sex advice, dating culture, and personal stories. The show rapidly grew from 12,000 to 2 million downloads in two months, leading to a three-year agreement with Barstool Sports after Dave Portnoy contacted the co-hosts.

Contract negotiations later produced a public split between Cooper and Franklyn. Cooper continued with Barstool Sports, while Franklyn left the show in 2020. The solo version of Call Her Daddy gradually shifted toward interviews with prominent guests, including Kamala Harris, Gwyneth Paltrow, Miley Cyrus, Simone Biles, Zayn Malik, Chelsea Handler, Julia Fox, and Demi Lovato. Cooper's relaxed presentation, which often includes recording interviews in sweatshirts and sweatpants, is intended to keep attention on her guests.

In 2021, Call Her Daddy moved to Spotify under an exclusive arrangement. The program became one of the platform's leading podcasts and was ranked second on Spotify's list of top video podcasts for 2024. Cooper also hosted and provided commentary during NBC's coverage of the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Cooper expanded beyond her flagship podcast by co-founding Trending with Matt Kaplan in 2023. The company focuses on Gen Z-oriented films, television, podcasts, and live events. That August, they launched the Unwell Network, which developed shows including Hot Mess with Alix Earle and Pretty Lonesome with Madeline Argy. Cooper's work building the network led Rolling Stone to describe her as a new-generation Barbara Walters.

The Unwell brand also moved into live events and consumer products. Cooper organized the Unwell Tour, which began in 2023 and added a West Coast leg in 2024. In partnership with Nestlé, she launched Unwell Hydration, an electrolyte drink designed for women, in 2025. The product later became an official sponsor of the National Women's Soccer League.

Cooper's distribution and advertising partnership moved from Spotify to SiriusXM beginning in 2025, covering Call Her Daddy and programming from the Unwell Network. She also launched Unwell Creative Agency, which works with brands seeking Gen Z audiences through podcasts, live events, and original productions.

Cooper was the subject of the two-part documentary series Call Her Alex, which premiered at the Tribeca Festival before streaming on Hulu and Disney+. Directed by Ry Russo-Young, the documentary follows her life from childhood in Pennsylvania through the creation of Call Her Daddy and the Unwell Tour.

The project includes interviews with Cooper's family and friends, behind-the-scenes footage from her first live tour, and an account of the end of her professional partnership with Sofia Franklyn. It also presents Cooper's allegation that Nancy Feldman sexually harassed her during her Boston University soccer career. Cooper's account prompted another former player to come forward with an allegation, while numerous former players and staff members signed a letter supporting Feldman.

Cooper met entertainment executive Matt Kaplan during a business Zoom call in 2020. Kaplan is the chief executive officer of Ace Entertainment and has produced projects including To All the Boys I've Loved Before and XO, Kitty. Cooper initially referred to him as "Mr. Sexy Zoom Man" when discussing their relationship publicly before revealing his identity.

Cooper and Kaplan became engaged in 2023 and married on April 6, 2024, in Riviera Maya, Mexico. Their wedding featured their Goldendoodles, Bruce and Henry, as ring bearers. Kaplan is also Cooper's co-founder and co-CEO at Trending.