
Noah Syndergaard and Alex Cooper: Inside Their Brief Romance & Cold Breakup
Noah Syndergaard and Alex Cooper's whirlwind romance started with courtside PDA and ended with a cold social media breakup. Here's a look at the relationship that helped launch a media empire.
Before she became a podcasting powerhouse, Alex Cooper made headlines for her relationship with MLB pitcher Noah Syndergaard. Their romance began in 2017 and soon became tabloid fodder.

Noah Syndergaard and Alex Cooper at a game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Barclays Center on October 25, 2017, in New York. | Source: Getty Images
While short-lived, their time together ended with a public breakup and unexpected ripple effects that helped push Cooper toward podcast stardom. Here's a look at the very public rise and icy fall of Noah Syndergaard and Alex Cooper.

Noah Syndergaard and Alex Cooper at Gotham Magazine's celebration of it's Late Spring Issue with Noah Syndergaard at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge on May 22, 2017, in Brooklyn, New York. | Source: Getty Images
Noah Syndergaard and Alex Cooper – From Courtside to the Spotlight
In April 2017, during her senior year at Boston University, Cooper was spotted courtside at Madison Square Garden alongside Syndergaard, watching the Knicks take on the Bulls.
The New York Post reported the two looked cozy as Cooper playfully toyed with Syndergaard's signature blond hair. That public appearance marked the beginning of their brief but high-profile romance.

Noah Syndergaard and Alex Cooper at the Memphis Grizzlies game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on December 6, 2017, in New York. | Source: Getty Images
Their relationship lasted through most of 2017, but by December, it came to an abrupt end.
That same week, the hockey player invited Cooper to a group dinner after the Mets' Opening Day win over the Braves. He posted a photo from the evening on X, captioning it, "Great Opening Day dinner w/ some great ppl....except dude in back right, he kinda sucks. @AmericanCut @LDVHospitality #Adamsucks."
Cooper, a former college soccer player, was still finishing her degree while traveling frequently to be with her then-boyfriend. She later admitted:
"I was living this very glamorous lifestyle because he was rich, and I was nobody."

Alex Cooper and Noah Syndergaard at Gotham Magazine's celebration of it's Late Spring Issue with Noah Syndergaard at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge on May 22, 2017, in Brooklyn, New York. | Source: Getty Images
Noah Syndergaard and Alex Cooper – The Breakup Heard Round X
Their relationship lasted through most of 2017, but by December, it came to an abrupt end. On December 12, Syndergaard wrote on X, "Baseball is my significant other," along with an image showing a relationship status change to single. The announcement made it clear that things were over.
Following the split, Cooper moved to New York and began working in the sales department at Gotham Magazine. In a twist of fate, Syndergaard had previously appeared in the publication, and Cooper admitted:
"I basically got that job because of him, and I have no shame saying that."
She eventually moved into a Lower East Side apartment with her childhood friend, Lauren, and Sofia Franklyn, a stranger she met through a friend-of-a-friend. Cooper and Franklyn later launched "Call Her Daddy" together, which caught the attention of Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy.

Alex Cooper at the Los Angeles special screening of Netflix's "XO, Kitty" at the Tudum Theater on May 11, 2023, in Hollywood, California. | Source: Getty Images
In December 2019, the exes sparked reunion rumors when a Page Six source claimed they were spotted kissing at a holiday party.
Portnoy had first noticed Cooper while she was still dating Syndergaard, having seen the pair at a concert. The podcast went on to become an instant hit after its debut in 2018. "By episode eight, we were right below Joe Rogan, and we never left," Cooper revealed.

Alex Cooper at the prelude to the Olympics on July 25, 2024, in Paris, France. | Source: Getty Images
Syndergaard, however, remained a part of Cooper's on-air narrative. Referred to by the nickname "Slim Shady," he was at the center of multiple anecdotes, including Cooper's claim that discovering his alleged cheating inspired her to refocus her life and career. She said:
"I was like, 'There is no way that this is how my New York City dream was ending.' I was like, 'There's no [expletive] way that this is happening to me now.' And then something shifted. I realized I just needed to focus on myself."

Alex Cooper speaking during The New York Times Dealbook Summit 2024 at Jazz at Lincoln Center on December 4 in New York. | Source: Getty Images
Noah Syndergaard and Alex Cooper – Rekindled Rumors and Lingering Drama
In December 2019, the exes sparked reunion rumors when a Page Six source claimed they were spotted kissing at a holiday party. Syndergaard denied any romantic involvement, but Cooper teased her audience by saying she was dating an ex again — without confirming or denying it was Syndergaard.
She later clarified that it was not him. However, despite the denials, the public fascination with their relationship persisted. Years later, Cooper added fuel to the fire when she joked about her name continuing to echo in MLB locker rooms and threw shade at her ex.
While Syndergaard hasn't shared any updates on his relationship status via his social media, Cooper has officially moved on.
During the season four premiere of "Call Her Daddy," Cooper featured TikTok star Alix Earle, who revealed that her hockey player ex, Tyler Wade, a utility player for the Oakland Athletics, disclosed to her that his Los Angeles Angels teammates would taunt Syndergaard about Cooper in the locker room by chanting her name.
Upon hearing this, Cooper did not hold back. "It can give us a little piece of mind, Alix, for everyone [expletive] on us for our jobs, to know that people in the MLB locker rooms are forever going to be chanting our names until they [expletive] retire, which I'm sure mine is on his way out," she said.
"He can't get a [expletive] contract. It's not that I look [at the MLB news], people just send me this [expletive] to me," Cooper bluntly added.
Noah Syndergaard and Alex Cooper – Where They Are Now
While Syndergaard hasn't shared any updates on his relationship status via his social media, Cooper has officially moved on. In 2024, she married Matt Kaplan, a film producer and her business partner.
The two met during a Zoom meeting in July 2020, fell in love over pandemic-era dinner dates in parking lots, and eventually tied the knot in an intimate wedding in Riviera Maya, Mexico.
Kaplan proposed in May 2023 with an elaborate scavenger hunt that ended in their garden, and the wedding weekend kicked off nearly a year later in April. From a beachside ceremony to multiple stunning designer looks, the affair was as lavish as it was personal. Cooper said:
"There's no detail or moment I won't remember — and I will cherish this celebration of our love forever."
The relationship between Noah Syndergaard and Alex Cooper may have been short-lived, but it played a significant role in shaping Cooper's early path. From courtside PDA to podcasting fame, their story offers a glimpse into the chaotic intersection of love, ambition, and media.