The podcast world is currently in the middle of a high-stakes standoff, but the most surprising person involved might be Dakota Johnson. As fans wait for Alix Earle to respond to Alex Cooper’s explosive direct callout, a viral moment from the past has resurfaced, leading many to believe the “Fifty Shades of Grey” star actually predicted this entire feud.
The tension reached a breaking point over the weekend when “Call Her Daddy” host Alex Cooper took to TikTok to address the “Hot Mess” creator directly. But while the drama is fresh for the influencers, Dakota Johnson was asking the tough questions nearly a year ago.
The Interview That Started It All
Back in June , Dakota participated in a Vanity Fair lie detector test where she famously admitted she isn’t very active online. When shown a photo of Alix Earle, a confused Johnson asked, “Is that a person on a TV show? Oh, is it Call Her Daddy?”
Things took a hilarious and prophetic turn when she was then shown a photo of Alex Cooper. “Are they not the same person?” Johnson asked, noting their similar blonde aesthetic. After being told they were two different people, Johnson’s curiosity took over.
“They’re both named Alex? And they both do podcasts?” she asked. Before the interviewer could even pivot, Dakota blurted out the questions everyone is asking today: “Are they friends? Are they enemies? Is there beef?”
Manifesting the Drama?
At the time, the interviewer joked that there “could be” beef between the two blonde moguls. Dakota’s reaction was priceless: “Oh, shit. About their podcasts? Do they talk about the same things? What’s going on?”
While Dakota was just trying to make sense of the digital landscape, her intuition seems to have been spot on. Although Earle had already parted ways with Cooper’s Unwell Network in March —taking her “Hot Mess” podcast with her—the reasons behind the split remained a mystery. That is, until now.
The TikTok Callout
The “fake drama” rumors finally peaked when Cooper posted a pointed TikTok video addressing Earle’s social media activity. “Hey girl, the passive aggressive reposts and the likes and the commenting on things — I’ve got to call you out here,” Cooper said directly to the camera.
She was seemingly referring to a video Earle had recently reposted, which featured another creator calling the “Call Her Daddy” host “awful” for her interview style. Cooper didn’t hold back, telling Earle, “You’re going to need to get specific and just say what you’ve got to say about me. There’s no NDA. No one is stopping you.”
What Comes Next?
The ball is now firmly in Alix Earle’s court. While she hasn’t dropped a full response video or a podcast episode explaining her side of the split yet, she did leave a cryptic three-word comment on Cooper’s TikTok: “Okay on it.”
As the internet keeps refreshing Earle’s page, Dakota Johnson’s old comments are serving as the ultimate “I told you so.” Whether Dakota actually manifested the feud or just has a sixth sense for podcast politics, she was definitely onto something when she asked, “Should I be friends with them? They look like nice people.”
Only time will tell if these two “nice people” can ever get back to being on the same team. For now, the “Alex vs. Alix” war is just getting started.
