Alix Earle, who finished in second place along with Val Chmerkovskiy on “Dancing With the Stars” season 34, kept things professional and reacted like an absolute pro when she was questioned on “The Today Show” about her alleged feud with former boss Alex Cooper.
Cooper owns the podcasting network Unwell, where Earle hosted her podcast “Hot Mess” from 2023 to 2025 before parting ways with the platform.
Rumors of tension between the former collaborators first started swirling in February 2025, when Earle skipped the Unwell Super Bowl party in New Orleans despite being in the city at the time.
After over a year of speculation, Cooper seemed to confirm there was bad blood by making a TikTok video bluntly telling Earle, “You’re gonna need to get specific and just say what you’ve got to say about me.” This was in response to perceived shade Earle threw at Cooper by “liking” a video in which another TikToker criticized Cooper for being an “ambulance chaser” and claiming the 31-year-old “wants to get the exclusive interview when you’re vulnerable.”
Earle reacted to Cooper’s video asking her to clear things up by commenting, “On it!” but never followed up with any response.
Alix Earle’s Classy Response to Alex Cooper Question: ‘I Love Everyone’
Earle’s “Today” interview on Tuesday, May 12, took a turn for the awkward when she was asked by co-anchor Craig Melvin, “There’s been this back and forth between you and another internet personality, a podcaster as well. Seems to be a bit of beef there. What’s actually happening? What’s really going on?”
Earle replied, “Well, I’m trying to keep things pretty positive today, you know? We don’t have that much time here, honestly. So, um, you know. It’s like, why ruin such a good day with something not so great. You know?”
Earle then mentioned “positive vibes” before Melvin continued to press, “But is there some sort of legitimate contentiousness or has it all been exaggerated?”
The 25-year-old answered with a smile and a slight chuckle, “Um, no it’s exaggerated. I love everyone.”
Melvin wasn’t so quick to accept Earle’s claim that everything is fine between the pair, but told her, “I’m not buying it, but I’ll let you go. We’ll move on.”
Alix Earle Praised by Fans for Classy Alex Cooper Response; Drops New Commercial Featuring Classic 90s Hit
Earle got a lot of compliments for the way she handled the awkward question. One fan wrote on an E! News Instagram clip of the tense moment, “She did so good handling that!” Someone else agreed, “She really did!”
Another commenter quoted a part of Earle’s statements before writing, “Alix is a QUEENNNNN.”
The day after dodging the dicey question, Earle was back to business. On her Instagram page, she released a new ad for Hawaiian Tropic sunscreen which conjured up some major 90s nostalgia by using the 1990 hit song “I Touch Myself” by Divinyls.
In the music video style ad, Earle showed off some of her moves, prompting “DWTS” pro Jenna Johnson, who is the wife of Val Chmerkovskiy, to comment, “Look at our dancing queen.”
