SINCE it was acquired by Spotify, Call Her Daddy has consistently made the platform’s list of most popular podcasts.
Until May 2020, the online web series was hosted by co-founders Alexandra Cooper and Sofia Franklyn.
What is the Call Her Daddy podcast?
Co-founded by Alex Cooper and Sofia Franklyn, Call Her Daddy is an advice and comedy podcast presented exclusively by Spotify.
The online series covers relationships, dating, sex, and personal stories courtesy of the hosts and guests.
The web show also focuses on women’s rights, mental health, and the significance of therapy.
Regarding the podcast’s impact, Alex told The New York Times: “It frustrates me when people try to pigeonhole me like, ‘Oh, it’s just that sex show.’
“I feel that sometimes people don’t want to acknowledge the show’s success.
“It continues to be one of the biggest shows in the world and it’s not because I stumbled upon something.
“When you heard Call Her Daddy, you immediately were thinking of the crazy, raw, salacious comedy podcast.”
When explaining the podcast’s shift in content, Alex revealed it was a combination of the Covid-19 pandemic and Sofia’s departure that resulted in her switching gears.
“I had my last year at Barstool and started to change the show when I took it over solo,” she said.
“I started to be like…’We’re in a pandemic. I’m not having much sexual interaction. What else is going on in my life?’
“That’s when I started to talk more about mental health. Then, when I went to Spotify — I’m going to be honest with you, I did not think that the show was going to take the trajectory of having these intense interviews.
“Since I’ve shifted from just relationship-dating conversation, my listenership has never been higher.”
Who hosts Call Her Daddy?
On May 27, 2020, Alex announced Sofia Franklyn departed Call Her Daddy.
Since then, Alex has remained the sole host of the series.
“I’m gonna have guests on. The whole thing is, like, it’s not gonna just be me,” she teased in a video to her fans.
“I don’t want to hear my own voice ‘cause I have to edit this show and I don’t think I would make it through this next year if it was just me. So, there are going to be guests.”
Why did Sofia leave Call Her Daddy?
Sofia parted ways with Call Her Daddy after she and Alex became involved in a dispute with the podcast’s former distributor Barstool Sports.
During the transition from Barstool to Spotify, the pair disagreed over several contract terms and conditions.
The influence of Sofia’s then-boyfriend Peter Nelson on her agreements to potential deals also contributed to the fallout between the two co-founders.
“I think that’s important to emphasize and I want to make it very clear that it seemed to me in my opinion, Sofia’s 50-50 was about money. Not labor,” Alex told viewers.
“I think this is where Barstool and I are pretty frustrated. That’s all it is. Everyone realized she was never gonna be happy.
“Sofia did not take the deal and when it got held up and there were no more points coming from her side, we had to move forward without her.
“There were more and more points and then eventually, she stopped sending points, and then she never sent her points. She said she wanted it. She never signed it.”
Meanwhile, Sofia commented via Instagram: “I found out that Alex had gone behind my back and done something. And I found out it wasn’t the first time. And that’s why we’re here. I trusted Alex. I feel betrayed.
“This is where the story gets extremely f**ked up. There’s been a lot of crazy s**t being thrown around, and some of it is true, and some of it is false.
“I am willing to do Call Her Daddy. I really am. I just can’t do it under the circumstances that she wants.
“We are partners. We have always been that way. We’ve always been 50/50, and so it’s put me in an extremely tough position. So here we are.”
In the wake of her leaving the series, Sofia began hosting her own Apple podcast Sofia with an F.