
Influencer Alix Earle hits Gymshark with $1m lawsuit after ‘firing over Israel posts’
Podcast host and influencer Alix Earle has launched a $1 million lawsuit against the U.K. fitness brand Gymshark, claiming the company pulled a sponsorship deal over her posts supporting Israel.
Earle, 24, who rose to fame in 2020 over her daily makeup and fashion videos, filed the lawsuit in the High Court of England, according to documents viewed by The Telegraph. She alleged Gymshark ended their partnership in late 2023 for Earle’s “perceived stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict.” The influencer posted on Instagram, “Now and always, we stand with the people of Israel,” the outlet reported.
Gymshark executives allegedly received an influx of negative comments in response to their sponsorship with Earle, who hosts the Hot Mess podcast. “Not the Zionist when you have Palestinian women as part of your brand,” one comment with over 300 likes read.
Earle is suing for $1 million in damages for the early termination of the collaboration.
She alleged Gymshark agreed to pay her that amount for three TikTok posts, four Instagram posts, a photoshoot, and an event as part of the collaboration, The Telegraph reported.
Earle also claimed in the lawsuit her social media posts were available before the Gymshark deal was agreed upon. Gymshark allegedly denied signing a contract with Earle.
The Independent has contacted Gymshark for comment.
Gymshark was started by Ben Francis in 2012 when he was working out of his parents’ garage in Birmingham while still a student and pizza delivery driver. Today, at age 32, the entrepreneur is among the youngest billionaires in the world with a reported net worth of $1.3 billion as of April 2023.
Collaborations with influencers are a huge part of Gymshark’s success. Francis told Forbes in 2020, “All my heroes were YouTubers, so I’d send them products.” That led to the collaboration with Earle.
Meanwhile, news of the lawsuit comes just weeks after Earle’s podcast was dropped by Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper’s Unwell Network. Earle joined the network in 2023.
But even as news of the lawsuit spread, Earle was sharing Instagram stories from Orlando, Florida, as she made a special appearance with Jake Shane during his podcast/comedy tour. Earle joined Shane onstage before celebrating late into the night with the comedian and fans. She also reposted stories of her fans enjoying SipMARGS, the canned margarita brand in which she recently invested.