Alex Cooper’s Unwell Media Company Valued At $500M After Investment By Patrick Whitesell

Unwell, the media company co-founded by Alex Cooper and Matt Kaplan, has been valued at $500 million after an investment from Patrick Whitesell‘s firm.

Cooper, a popular podcaster known for hosting popular shows like Call Her Daddy, launched Unwell with Kaplan in 2023.

While terms were not disclosed, the buy-in by WTSL, the firm run by former TKO execs Whitesell and Jason Lublin, represents the first outside investment in Unwell. Along with the financial resources, the move gives Unwell access to the strategic expertise and connections of WTSL, which has an interest in firms like Omaha Productions. Prior to TKO, Whitesell was a top exec at Endeavor and WME, working closely with Ari Emanuel for more than a decade before the two parted ways.

Gen Z women are the sweet spot for Unwell, which says its audience is 89% female, with 72% between the ages of 18 and 35. The company has nearly 100 million followers across platforms and operates a podcast network of more than a dozen shows reaches millions of listeners daily. Unwell last year formed a partnership with SiriusXM partnership and has ramped up its video efforts on YouTube.

Podcasting in general has been migrating from audio to video, with not only YouTube but Netflix, Disney+, Peacock and other streamers adding it to their programming mix.

In a statement, Cooper said Unwell is “scaling on all fronts, combining nimbleness, social-first premium content, and our understanding of culture to serve this highly influential audience. With WTSL’s backing, the company is now also poised to accelerate our media platform’s growth through acquisitions and investments.”

Whitesell said Unwell’s co-founders and the company’s team “have demonstrated an exceptional ability to anticipate where audiences are headed and create entertainment experiences that resonate deeply.”