Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper is facing criticism from some of her fan base after announcing Wednesday that she is launching a non-alcoholic drink collection.
After posting severalhints to her 3.2 million Instagram followers, Cooper announced she was launching Unwell Hydration, an electrolyte drink that will be sold at Target for $2.49 a bottle starting on Jan. 1. The bottles come in three flavors — Strawberry, Mango Citrus and Orange Hibiscus. "Each bottle contains over 700 mg of electrolytes, a blend of B-complex vitamins and a gentle boost of green coffee extract," a news release stated.
"Women are often expected to juggle multiple roles and be everything to everyone, which is why I wanted to create a hydration drink that helps replenish what we give out," Cooper said in the release.
The product's name shouldn't exactly come as a surprise. In August 2023, Cooper announced she was starting the Unwell Network, a Gen Z media venture and production company behind podcasts hosted by influencers including Alix Earle, Madeline Argy and Harry Jowsey.
In January, Cooper told the New York Times that "merch alone is an eight-figure business for Unwell," which has included multipleitemslabeled "unwell" in the same style as the new drink.
Cooper's entry into the drink world comes after years of success in media. She started her podcast in 2018 with then-co-host Sofia Franklyn, when it was owned and distributed by Barstool Sports. The two had a falling out and Franklyn left the podcast in 2021. Months later, Cooper signed an exclusive deal with Spotify worth $60 million.
Call Her Daddy has seen tremendous success on Spotify. It was the second most popular video podcast on the streaming platform in 2024. In August, Cooper entered into a new partnership with SiriusXM for an estimated $125 million, which "features a comprehensive programming development strategy for exclusive content" with the satellite radio company.
It was after years of media success that Cooper showed she could expand her business into another realm.
"I've had almost over 100 meetings about white spaces in the market," Cooper told Parade. "I have been pitched cosmetics, I have been pitched fragrance, I have been pitched clothing, I have been pitched everything."
But what resonated with her the most was a new drink release.
“We don't need another makeup brand,” she continued. “That is a place where women are dominating, which is amazing. But this is yet another time in my career where I'm like, ‘Move over, boys. We don't need to be drinking PRIME or Gatorade.’”
Cooper said that Unwell Hydration is right up her alley. "As you get older, you obviously start to recognize you want to take care of yourself," she told Women's Wear Daily. "When you think about being unwell, it is somehow related to a lack of hydration."
The announcement doesn't seem to be thrilling some of her fan base. "Is this a joke?" one Reddit user posted in response to the news on Wednesday. "Who asked for this?"
According to multipleposts on social media (many of which, according to Snaxshot, a popular Substack on food and drink trends, were deleted) and several fans who spoke with Yahoo Entertainment, there is a feeling that Cooper seemingly launched the product only to make money.
"This is so underwhelming," one comment on Cooper's announcement on Instagram reads. "I wish you had done something that is more authentic to you and your brand other than another beverage at the supermarket."
“You didn’t beat the boys. You joined them,” another person commented on her Instagram announcement post. “You have the money and reach to really do something and yet you chose to shill an unnecessary product under the guise of feminism so you could make money off of women. It’s just so disappointing.”
Still, many of Cooper’s fans, who call her “Father Cooper,” are excited to support her. “If Alex likes it, we like it,” one person commented on Instagram. “Running to Target.”
“Whatever Father does, I will be behind to support it,” another added.
Cooper is not the first popular influencer to develop a product in the food and beverage category. YouTuber Emma Chamberlain started Chamberlain Coffee in 2020; Logan Paul and "JJ" Olatunji — better known as KSI — dropped PRIME Hydration in 2022. MrBeast, the most famous YouTuber, launched several snacks that Amazon, Walmart and Target now sell.
Maria, who asked Yahoo not to use her last name for privacy reasons, has followed Cooper since 2020. She said Cooper “comes off to me as someone who only pretends to care about stuff if it benefits her financially.”
"Everyone is aware of how super, super rich she is," Kayla, a Cooper fan who has listened to Call Her Daddy for years and prefers not to use her last name, told Yahoo Entertainment.
At the New York Times DealBook Summit on Wednesday, Cooper said she partnered with Nestlé to produce Unwell Hydration.
“So many Americans are suffering right now,” Kayla explained. “Seeing someone like Alex … partner with [Nestlé] on a product that will accelerate the destruction of our planet for no reason other than to build her money mountain higher has left a bad taste in people’s mouths.”
Nestlé has been involved in numerous controversies involving developing countries for decades, including allegations of child labor, preventing non-bottled water access, spreading disinformation about recycling and price fixing.
Some redditors alleged Cooper appears to have deleted some followers' Instagram comments that expressed concerns this was an "unethical business venture" because of the partnership with Nestlé.
Align Public Relations, which represents Cooper, declined to comment to Yahoo Entertainment, and Nestlé did not respond to Yahoo Entertainment’s request for comment.
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