{"id":249289,"date":"2026-06-30T13:46:51","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T13:46:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/30\/dave-portnoy-reveals-the-private-advice-he-gave-alex-cooper-before-unwell-network-drama\/"},"modified":"2026-06-30T13:46:51","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T13:46:51","slug":"dave-portnoy-reveals-the-private-advice-he-gave-alex-cooper-before-unwell-network-drama","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/30\/dave-portnoy-reveals-the-private-advice-he-gave-alex-cooper-before-unwell-network-drama\/","title":{"rendered":"Dave Portnoy Reveals the Private Advice He Gave Alex Cooper Before Unwell Network Drama"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Dave Portnoy<\/strong><\/a> shared the advice he offered former employee Alex Cooper<\/strong><\/a> before the expos\u00e9 about her Unwell Network went live.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe talked, she knew the article was coming,\u201d Portnoy, 49, told Us Weekly<\/em> exclusively while promoting his debut memoir, Cancel Me If You Can<\/em><\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m like, there\u2019s nothing you can say to Vanity Fair. The article is written. You trying to prove your innocence and have facts, or whatever. They don\u2019t care. Once someone\u2019s like, \u2018We\u2019re doing a hit piece,\u2019 it\u2019s a hit piece. Facts don\u2019t matter in the end.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added, \u201cYour crowd will believe you, and the people who don\u2019t like you won\u2019t. You just go on with it. That\u2019s what I told her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, Vanity Fair<\/em> published an article alleging that Cooper\u2019s husband, Matt Kaplan<\/strong>, was \u201cwreaking havoc and making people cry\u201d<\/a> at the company. The story cited more than 40 sources, including former and current Unwell employees, who brought forth claims about the alleged toxic work environment being fostered by Kaplan. Cooper, 31, was accused of standing by her husband and male executives while portraying a female-empowering girls\u2019 girl image to the public.<\/p>\n

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\n Dave Portnoy and Alex Cooper<\/span> Getty Images (2)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cooper broke her silence on the \u201csmear campaign\u201d<\/a> while speaking at The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity on Wednesday, June 24.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think when you read lies about yourself to fuel something else that is an obvious situation going on, it\u2019s hard,\u201d Cooper said, in part. \u201cBut I think the reason that I\u2019ve had success in this industry is I have really thick skin, and I\u2019m going to keep pushing forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Portnoy told Us<\/em> that Cooper announcing her pregnancy ahead of the drama \u201cchanged the dynamic of everything\u201d she\u2019s going through publicly \u2014 including the drama with Alix Earle<\/strong>. (Cooper announced on May 17 that she and Kaplan, 42, were expecting their first child.)<\/p>\n

\u201cI did not like Alix Earle being like, \u2018I\u2019ll tell you why I don\u2019t like her,\u2019 but she just never has,\u201d Portnoy said. \u201cIf you\u2019re gonna stir this hornet\u2019s nest, that would bother me. If you have an issue with me, say it. I don\u2019t think we do, and I think I\u2019ve been fair.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cooper called out Earle, 25, for liking and reposing shady social media posts<\/a> about her in an April TikTok video. Earle responded by saying she would share the drama between them, but has yet to go public with any further claims. Fans have speculated that the details will be revealed on Earle\u2019s upcoming Netflix show Earle Meets World<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Portnoy is in the mindset of \u201clet\u2019s do this head on\u201d instead of taking the \u201cinnuendo\u201d route. In terms of what went down, the Barstool Sports founder has no insight.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve [heard] rumors,\u201d he said. \u201cBut until Alix Earle says what it is, who knows?\u201d<\/p>\n

While he doesn\u2019t touch on Cooper\u2019s more recent drama in the book, Portnoy will discuss her falling out with former \u201cCall Her Daddy\u201d cohost Sofia Franklyn<\/strong>. (Cooper and Franklyn, 33, worked at Barstool before their public feud and eventual departure from the company.)<\/p>\n

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