Alex Cooper has swiftly acquired former Barstool Sports talent, leading to Dave Portnoy’s intent to reciprocate. Portnoy has openly praised Cooper, who transitioned from Barstool to a lucrative Spotify deal and subsequently secured a multi-year agreement with SiriusXM, making them her new distribution and advertising partner for the Call Her Daddy podcast. Following her success, Cooper’s Unwell Network brought on Grace O’Malley, and now Portnoy seems to be setting his sights on Alix Earle.
Earle, a social media influencer famous for her “Get Ready With Me” TikTok videos, recently had her podcast, Hot Mess, dropped by Cooper’s Unwell Network. According to Variety, SiriusXM will cease selling ads for the show as well, allowing Earle the freedom to seek new opportunities since Unwell has relinquished all rights to it.
This move comes amid rising speculation on social media regarding a feud between Cooper, the immensely popular host of “Call Her Daddy,” and Earle, the party girl influencer with a substantial TikTok following. Speculation intensified when Earle skipped an Unwell Super Bowl party in New Orleans despite being in town.
Then comes Portnoy. On Tuesday night, he uploaded a TikTok, urging his followers to stop tagging him as he was already a step ahead. Using a video set to the Lion King’s ‘Circle of Life,’ Portnoy revealed that he had a 22-minute phone conversation with Earle.
@stoolpresidenteYou can stop tagging me. I know what needs to be done 😘♬ som original – Rei Leão
This is quintessential Portnoy trolling; after all, turnabout is fair play considering Cooper did something similar when she recruited O’Malley. Portnoy isn’t known for subtlety—he plays the game better than most, and sometimes he plays it excessively well.
@fathercooperYou can stop tagging me, I know what needs to be done😘♬ original sound – dylansmovin
Interestingly, Portnoy wasted no time targeting Earle’s inner circle. Less than three weeks before her podcast went free, the Barstool founder went on a scathing rant about her boyfriend, Miami Dolphins wide receiver Braxton Berrios, who had been confirmed to appear on two Barstool podcasts during Super Bowl week in New Orleans but canceled at the last minute.
Portnoy expressed his frustration, stating, “Braxton Berrios was supposed to be on both those podcasts… He confirmed he would do it. Two hours prior, we received a message from his team saying he will not work with Barstool. His personal team is preventing him. That infuriates me. I hate that. If you don’t want to do it, say you don’t… Not your personal team.”
If Berrios had reservations about collaborating with Barstool, perhaps his perspective has changed. It took just 19 days for Earle to become a podcast free agent—and for Portnoy to swoop in like a hawk. Despite losing Cooper (and others) to larger platforms, it’s evident Portnoy hasn’t forgotten how to stay competitive in this space.
Whether Earle officially joins Barstool or not, Portnoy has a history of pursuing high-profile names. Barstool successfully recruited Jon Gruden, made attempts to engage Bill Belichick, and is willing to take significant risks, even if it means some of his talents eventually find success elsewhere. If nothing else, Portnoy remains a prominent figure in the conversation, whether he clinches the deal or simply stirs the pot.
