AceShowbiz - Brett Cooper is taking aim at modern dating culture, declaring on the latest episode of The Brett Cooper Show that "dating doesn't even make sense in 2026." The conservative commentator and podcast host devoted a segment to Alex Cooper's dating advice and a viral essay from The Cut titled "The Case for the Entry-Level Boyfriend."

Cooper argued that situationships, hookup culture, and casual dating have left young people so confused that they can no longer agree on what dating even means. "Growing up, dating meant courting," she said. "But dating is completely subjective in the modern era! People can't even figure out what that means because they are so confused."

When The Cut published its essay making the case for an "entry-level boyfriend," Cooper said she was ready to tear the argument apart. Instead, she found herself agreeing with parts of it, but not the premise. "Calling someone an 'entry-level boyfriend' is just cruel," she said. "How about he's just your boyfriend?"

Cooper singled out one line from the essay that particularly bothered her. "The line [in the article] that stood out to me was that 'they are never going to be your husband,'" she said. "It is that 'never will be your husband' framing that made me cock my head, because there is a huge difference between 'I like this person, and they might be my husband because we share values' and 'I really like him, and I know this is not a forever thing. I'm just dating him for the experience and practice.'"

The host also turned her attention to Alex Cooper, whose dating advice she criticized sharply. "This is how you end up with a generation that has intimacy with no real intention and no idea how to actually date," Brett Cooper said. "Because etiquette and manners have been thrown out the window for whatever feels good in the moment and texting people at 3 a.m."

She further rejected the notion that close female friendships can serve as a substitute for romantic relationships. "Your tight-knit group of cool and interesting girlfriends cannot be the reason that you never take a risk and open up to somebody," she said. "It is not the same as navigating a romantic relationship that you are committed to protecting and fighting for. The substitutions are not equal to the real thing."

Addressing the author of The Cut essay directly, Cooper offered some advice of her own. "If she really wants to help people find love and excel in dating in 2026, then she should refine the terms she's using and focus on the intentions behind them, not the outcomes of these relationships," she said.