Alix Earle, the 24-year-old TikTok star turned podcast queen, dropped a legal bombshell on March 20, filing a $1 million lawsuit against U.K.-based fitness brand Gymshark in England’s High Court. The allegation? Gymshark pulled out of a major sponsorship deal after she posted pro-Israel content on Instagram, derailing a collaboration meant to highlight her 6.5 million followers in the fitness space. The lawsuit landed just weeks after her Hot Mess podcast split from Alex Cooper’s Unwell Network—and the internet lit up fast. Now, as of March 27, the case is officially settled out of court, but the fallout is still fresh.
Earle’s a Gen Z juggernaut. New Jersey-born and Miami-based, she shot to fame in 2020 through “Get Ready With Me” TikToks and beauty content. Today, she has over 6.5 million followers, hosts the Hot Mess podcast (formerly under Unwell), and recently became an investor in SipMARGS canned margaritas. Gymshark, founded by Ben Francis in 2012 from his parents’ garage in Birmingham, is now a $1.3 billion fitness brand. It’s built a reputation on influencer-driven growth—Earle was one of the biggest recent names in its marketing pipeline. The legal battle centers on a deal Earle claims was worth $1 million over a year. Her legal team says it was finalized; Gymshark says it was just a “proposal.” The company’s PR team told The Independent the matter is now “settled out of court.” No dollar amount has been disclosed.
What Happened?
It started in late 2023, when Earle posted on Instagram: “Now and always, we stand with the people of Israel,. The post prompted backlash—comments like “Not the Zionist when you have Palestinian women as part of your brand” gained traction, pulling in hundreds of likes. Shortly after, Gymshark allegedly canceled the deal. Earle says she had already signed—a formal agreement tied to fitness content and in-person events. Gymshark disputes that, calling it an unsigned proposal that was never finalized. Earle’s legal filing hit England’s High Court on March 20, demanding $1 million for lost income and reputational harm. As of March 26, Gymshark confirmed the case was resolved privately. Earle’s team is calling it a win.
The Instagram post appears to have gone up pre-October 7, before the Hamas attacks and the major shift in global media attention. That suggests September 2023, per context from. Gymshark allegedly pulled out shortly after. Earle filed the lawsuit on March 20, 2025, in London’s High Court—because Gymshark’s based in the U.K., even though Earle resides in the U.S. The settlement was made public on March 26, meaning it took just six days to resolve. Where was Earle during the firestorm? Hanging with Jake Shane on tour in Orlando, per her Instagram Stories from March 26—unbothered.
Why the Clash? Politics Meets Profit
At the heart of the lawsuit: a political post and a brand trying to dodge controversy. Earle claims Gymshark pulled the plug over “her perceived stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict,”. She argues the post was live before the deal was signed—and that Gymshark knew her views. When backlash came, Gymshark allegedly panicked. The brand has 6 million Instagram followers and a global, youth-skewed audience. Facing comments from pro-Palestinian fans, the company allegedly ghosted her. Earle’s suit claims breach of contract and discrimination—arguing her free speech got her dropped. Gymshark, for its part, says no contract ever existed—and therefore, no deal was broken. Why pursue the case? Earle’s camp told Forbes it was “about principle and precedent”—protecting influencers when brands reverse course due to politics. With Gymshark’s founder now a billionaire at age 32, the optics of dumping one of TikTok’s biggest faces didn’t land clean either.
How’d It End? A Quiet Cash-Out
There was no court ruling. The case was settled privately by March 26, Gymshark’s statement read: “Resolved in 2025, terms confidential.” Legal insiders like Legal Cheek’s Alex Aldridge suggest the payout was likely mid-six figures, based on Earle’s brand value and Gymshark’s capacity to pay. There’s been no apology, no public reconciliation—just money and silence. Earle didn’t miss a beat. She was promoting SipMARGS the next day (March 27), while Gymshark’s operations continued unaffected
A Win, a Warning, or Both?
Alix Earle’s lawsuit—filed March 20, settled by March 26—marks a rare win for influencers pushing back against sudden cancellations. Her pro-Israel post lit the fuse, but her legal follow-through sent the message: pull a deal, face the consequences. Whether the payout was $100K or $1M, Earle came out on top—without losing her cool or her fanbase.