Media Credit: Call Her Daddy / YouTube
If you’re a podcast lover, you know Call Her Daddy isn't your average podcast. It’s an advice comedy rollercoaster of hilarious stories with special guests on many topics.
The podcast was created by Alexandra Cooper and Sofia Franklyn in 2018 and was formerly owned and distributed by Barstool Sports until June 2021. This interestingly named podcast has quite the origin story. The name Call Her Daddy was chosen to reflect female empowerment. To be more specific, Alex and her former cohost, Sofia Franklyn, talked about a girl who did something new in the bedroom and took the lead while making love. That’s when Alex suggested Call Him Daddy for the podcast's name, to which Sofia replied, "No, Call Her Daddy."
In 2023, Call Her Daddy was ranked as Spotify’s second-biggest podcast, behind The Joe Rogan Experience, and was the top podcast for women listeners. Before that, in 2020, Cooper and Franklyn were engaged in a publicized dispute with Barstool founder David Portnoy, which resulted in Franklyn leaving the show. Then in 2022 Cooper signed an exclusive deal with Spotify worth $60 million and posted a video on YouTube explaining her perspective of what went down between her, Franklyn, and Barstool Sports.
One of the primary reasons for Call Her Daddy's popularity was that, at first, it focused on taboo topics. The show frequently discussed relationships, body image, and celebrity gossip. While this approach has garnered a big fanbase, it has also led to criticism and accusations of promoting harmful stereotypes.
After the deal with Spotify, Cooper decided to shift the focus of her podcast. So, she began exploring issues like women's rights, mental health, and the value of therapy. Since the deal closed, Call Her Daddy has seen several unique and famous guests, ranging from presidential nominees to former Disney stars.
Here are a few of Call Her Daddy’s most memorable guests.
Kamala Harris
On Oct. 6, Kamala Harris joined Call Her Daddy for a 40-minute interview. The interview was part of Harris's broader media tour, which included appearances on major shows like CBS' 60 Minutes, Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The View and Howard Stern's radio program. Harris’s talk focused on abortion rights, the high cost of housing, and Republican attacks on childless cat ladies.
Harris's campaign, like Donald Trump’s, is seeking out friendly podcasters to reach her audiences. She is not the first candidate to use an entertainment show to try to reach younger voters. For instance, Obama reached millennials by appearing on Zach Galifianakis’s YouTube show.
Cooper said she had also invited Trump on the show to counter Harris’s points. He has yet to respond.
Hailey Bieber
In an episode that caused quite a stir, Hailey opened up about her relationship with her husband Justin Bieber while clearing the air about past controversial moments in her life. Much of her interview was focused on addressing rumors, particularly those concerning her relationship with Justin Bieber during the time of his relationship with Selena Gomez.
She also talked about her experiences with anxiety and depression, discussing how she has coped with the pressures of fame and how challenging it was for her mental health. One of the surprising topics was how specific Hailey got when speaking about her intimate relationship with Justin. The interview generated a discussion online, with some praising Bieber for her honesty and vulnerability and others criticizing her for certain comments.
Miley Cyrus
In 2020, Cooper interviewed Miley in what Cooper called one of her most challenging interviews. Miley released her song Midnight Sky, and it was first played on the episode during the interview.
As in all other episodes, Miley discussed topics like her relationships, personality and career details, plus her crush on Minnie Mouse.
This was one of Call Her Daddy's best episodes according to Spotify streaming numbers, but because Cooper was nervous, she's currently planning on redoing the interview.
“The first person that really took a chance on me as a celebrity was Miley Cyrus. I hadn’t had that gravity of a celebrity on, and she was incredible,Cooper told WSJ. Magazine’s“I need to interview Miley Cyrus again because I was such a baby.”
The Impact on Pop Culture
Call Her Daddy has opened a different, more open path in the podcast world in terms of the topics it discusses, and the fanbase it created which Cooper calls “Daddy Gang”, and she mentions them in Call Her Daddy posts on social media to share their opinion.
The podcast also added a touch of excitement for the audience and changed how they think about celebrities.
The show is responsible for new terms and phrases such as "situationship" and "Becky with the good hair." It has also opened the way to conversations about intimacy, body positivity, and the challenges of modern relationships.
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