• by Danielle Oster , December 10, 2024

It’s been a big year for Alex Cooper, whose show ‘Call Her Daddy’ is purportedly the number one listened to podcast among women globally.

Cooper’s show -- which was also listed as the number two podcast in the U.S. and globally on Spotfiy’s year-end ranking -- hosted arguably its most high-profile guest In October: Vice President Kamala Harris, then deep in the throes of her presidential campaign.

Cooper signed a $125 million, three-year deal with Sirius XM in August, which will replace Spotify as distribution and advertising partner for “Call Her Daddy” and the Unwell Studios network Cooper founded with her now-husband  Matt Kaplan last year.

The “Unwell” name has taken on a different meaning with fans of the podcast, and among Gen Z audiences who broadly use it to express a general sense of unease with a given situation, or the world more broadly.

Now, Cooper is expanding her “Unwell” empire further with the upcoming launch of her hydration beverage brand, Unwell Hydration, available first at Target Jan. 1/

The  brand touts “functional” ingredients like more than 700mg of electrolytes per 16.9-ounce bottle, a B-complex vitamin blend, and a “gentle dose of green coffee extract,” for a small amount of caffeine.

Why did Cooper want to put her brand on hydration?

“I've had almost over 100 meetings about white spaces in the market…I  have been pitched everything. But here’s the thing: When you look at every single drink on the market, basically, all of it is made by men, marketed to men. And I'm like, ‘What about the women? What about us?’” Cooper told Parade.  “We don't need another makeup brand,” she added. “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 is also a former Division I soccer player, and also points to the role of hydration in recovering from hangovers. The migraines Cooper suffers from also shaped the development of the beverage.

The brand created social media pages ahead of its launch, which already feature regular posts promoting Unwell Hydration. On Instagram, the brand’s page has already attracted roughly 117,000 followers with 15 posts. Unwell also has at least one major brand marketing partnership, teaming up with boutique fitness brand Solidcore in a video posted to both brands’ accounts today, showing Cooper dropping in on a member-exclusive Solidcore class.

Unwell Hydration will be available in three flavor upon launch: Strawberry, Mango Citrus, and Orange Hibiscus. It will initially be available in individual 16.9 fluid oz bottles and 8-packs exclusively at Target stores nationally, andTarget.com, before expanding to other outlets nationally throughout 2025.