Dave Portnoy Backs Brianna LaPaglia as Alex Cooper Feud Heats Up

If you blinked, you missed three new chapters in the Alex Cooper vs. Brianna 'Chickenfry' LaPaglia vs. Alix Earle saga — and then Dave Portnoy jumped in to pour lighter fluid on the whole thing. Here is what actually happened, why Grace O'Malley and Unwell are suddenly part of it, and why everyone keeps posting receipts like it is finals week.

The quick version (so you do not have to sift through 20 TikToks)

• 2021: Alex Cooper moves 'Call Her Daddy' from Barstool to Spotify.
• 2024: Grace O'Malley (who cohosted 'PlanBri Uncut' with Brianna LaPaglia at Barstool) leaves and later aligns with Cooper's Unwell Network.
• 2025: Alix Earle parts ways with Unwell; her podcast 'Hot Mess' had been on Cooper's network.
• Earlier this month: Earle reposts a video calling Cooper the 'grim reaper' — widely read as shade. Cooper responds on TikTok telling Earle to speak up if she has something to say and adds there is no NDA muzzling her.
• Wednesday, Apr. 15: Cooper also calls out Brianna and posts what she says are their DMs. Same day, Dave Portnoy pops onto TikTok, reacts to Brianna's latest video, and unloads backstory about an O'Malley interview that never happened.
• Thursday, Apr. 16: Brianna fires back at Cooper again, defends Earle, and details why her opinion of Cooper flipped.

Dave Portnoy enters, and suddenly we are talking about Grace O'Malley

On Wednesday, Barstool founder Dave Portnoy, 49, posted a TikTok after watching Brianna LaPaglia's newest video about Alex Cooper. He even showed a text exchange with Brianna, 26, saying he loved how 'messy' her post was — his words, not mine.

Portnoy then dropped a backstory nugget from when Grace O'Malley ended up with Cooper's Unwell and the internet was, in his words, burying Brianna. According to Dave, Cooper told him she planned to interview O'Malley solo so Grace could tell her side. Dave hated that idea because he thought it would steamroll Brianna. He says he repeatedly offered O'Malley the chance to speak on Barstool instead, but she did not take it.

At that point, Brianna offered to appear with O'Malley on 'Call Her Daddy.' Dave says he and Cooper agreed: if Grace would not go on with Brianna, then there would be no O'Malley interview at all. He even admits he may have told Cooper he would 'go ballistic' if she booked Grace without Bri. O'Malley never agreed to appear with Brianna, so the whole thing died on the vine. Dave wrapped his TikTok by basically saying he loves the chaos. Shocking, I know.

Cooper vs. Earle heats up, and Brianna picks a side

The Earle/Cooper friction has been simmering since Earle left Unwell in 2025, but it escalated this month when Earle reshared a video that labeled Cooper the 'grim reaper.' Cooper then looked straight into camera and told Earle to either talk or stop the cryptic posts, stressing there is no NDA and nothing preventing Earle from speaking publicly.

'Hey, girl. The passive aggressive reposts and the likes and the commenting on things, I gotta call you out here... I have nothing to hide when it comes to you and me.'

Cooper also accused Earle of using 'fake drama ' to distract from other issues and said they both know what actually happened.

Brianna says she used to be a fan — until she heard more

On Thursday, Brianna posted another TikTok responding to Cooper's claim that she is not a 'mean girl' because the two once exchanged polite DMs. Brianna's take: of course the messages looked nice — they were from before she learned more. She also shot down fans insisting the whole thing is a PR setup, dragging the same people who recently convinced themselves Amanda Batula and West Wilson were doing an April Fools bit on Summer House.

Brianna says she met Cooper years ago through Barstool (remember, 'Call Her Daddy' started there before Cooper's Spotify deal in 2021) and was a fan at the time. Since then, she says she became friends with Alix Earle. According to Brianna, Earle told her the story of what went down between Earle and Cooper two years ago — she heard it around Super Bowl time, though she clarifies the alleged incident itself did not happen at the Super Bowl. Brianna says she kept quiet because it was not her story to tell.

Now? Different tone. Brianna claims Earle described Cooper as 'very mean.' She also alleges that when Grace O'Malley signed to Unwell, Cooper called Dave Portnoy and said she did not care about Grace or Brianna — only about making money. Brianna says that is when her view of Cooper flipped, and she is 'patiently' waiting for Earle to tell her side publicly.

Receipts, DMs, and the 'mean girl' back-and-forth

Brianna publicly backed Earle earlier this month, which set off Cooper's midweek response. On Wednesday, Cooper addressed Brianna directly on Instagram Stories, posting what she says are their past DMs and arguing that Brianna is helping fuel a false narrative. Cooper also insisted she has never met Brianna in person and that the only contact between them has been via direct messages.

Brianna's rebuttal: posting old friendly DMs to undercut her is exactly the energy she is criticizing. She called Cooper's new video 'mean girl final boss' behavior and compared it to an ex trying to weaponize your nice texts from when you were still dating.

Where this leaves everyone

Portnoy says he protected Brianna by blocking a solo O'Malley interview at Unwell, which adds a whole extra layer to the Grace storyline. Brianna says her opinion on Cooper changed after what she heard from Earle and after the alleged 'it is just about money' remark. Cooper says there is no gag order on Earle, invites her to talk, and is pushing back on Brianna by dropping old messages and saying they have never even met.

Translation: expect more TikToks, more screenshots, and — if Earle actually speaks — a fresh round of 'who is right' from all corners of the internet.