For those unfamiliar with it, ‘Call Her Daddy,’ a podcast hosted by Alex Cooper, started on Barstool in 2018. Cooper, joined by former cohost Sofia Franklyn, responded to questions from listeners, talked about relationships and gave sex advice.
But, in 2020, after a public dispute with Barstool owner Dave Portnoy, Franklyn left the show. Cooper went on to sign a $60 million deal with Spotify to host the show on her own. While Barstool would still handle advertising for the show, it would be released on Spotify.
‘Call Her Daddy’s’ Content Shift
This was when Cooper’s content first started to shift. She started to talk more about mental health, women’s rights and the importance of therapy. While she continued to have these big celebrity guests, she was also interviewing mental health professionals and doctors.
Now on Sirius XM, the show attracts an audience who admires Cooper for the persona and brand she’s built. Comments indicate a mostly female audience— “The Daddy Gang”— who appreciate Cooper’s large, unapologetic personality despite her success as a female entrepreneur. But interestingly, not all of them were pleased after the Vice President’s episode dropped.
Vice President Kamala Harris Joins “The Daddy Gang”
The interview, which came out Oct. 6, was originally scheduled to take place in Las Vegas. But Vice President Kamala Harris had to cancel due to Hurricane Helene and the devastation on the East Coast.
She was in Augusta, Ga. on Oct. 2, talking to folks who had lost loved ones, praising first responders and announcing FEMA federal relief plans.
So it’s surprising that the loudest backlash post-interview was directed toward the Vice President for doing the interview during the hurricane. Yet Harris’s interview was less than 10 minutes in full. Cooper even mentions in a TikTok post to her account that even on the actual shoot day, the Vice President had to push back the start time by about five hours to attend to “pressing national matters.”
Hurricane Relief: Harris vs. Trump
It can be soundly assumed that the Vice President has empathy and the desire to help those who’ve been impacted by these massive hurricanes. What can also be assumed is that former President Donald Trump does not.
He’s said that President Joe Biden is withholding federal aid from places where Republicans live and that FEMA funds are being redirected to “migrants.” He also falsely claimed at a news conference in Georgia that Gov. Brian Kemp had not been able to get in touch with Biden in relief efforts.
“Lives are literally at stake right now. The idea that someone would be playing political games for the sake of himself is consistent with Donald Trump. I fear that he really lacks empathy.”
Vice President Harris on Trump’s lies about hurricane relief in an Oct. 8 appearance on ‘The View’
Despite evidence existing to plainly prove it wrong, this notion that Harris is ignoring victims of Hurricanes Helene and Milton continues to riddle the comment sections of Harris’s ‘Call Her Daddy’ episode.
Harris Is Not “Too Political” For Call Her Daddy
Another common critique of the interview was more directed towards Cooper herself. Some felt she unnecessarily “politicized” her show. Folks expressed that what they liked about the podcast was that Cooper didn’t talk politics.
To me, this is exactly why it was a good move for Harris to make an appearance on a podcast like ‘Call Her Daddy.’ Cooper’s audience is mainly white and young. While she attracts viewers from both coasts, her recent tour appearances have proven she has a dedicated fanbase in more conservative areas of the country.
It’s telling that the white women who enjoy listening to Cooper talk with celebrities and mental health professionals are drawing the line at the Vice President. ‘Call Her Daddy’ is a podcast clearly advertised for women, discussing topics that impact women. Most of Harris’s interviews were about reproductive rights and her goals as the potential next President of the United States. I don’t think there is anything more pressing for women in America right now.
Harris Spoke Directly To Women
The Vice President started by noting that “1 out of 3 women in our country right now are under an abortion ban. A bunch of these guys in the state capitols are writing these decisions because they somehow have decided that they are in a better position to tell you what’s in your best interest than you are to know that for yourself.”
She went on to talk about other consequences of shuttering reproductive health care clinics— these are places where women can get pap smears, mammograms, and access to contraception.
So, to all in the comments who are expressing frustrations towards Cooper, I would say this has been her most relevant episode thus far. The Vice President spoke directly to women in a way her more general media appearances have not allowed her to.
For all the negative comments, Harris’s kindness genuinely seemed to surprise some of Cooper’s audience. ‘Call Her Daddy’ reaches an audience that is partly tuned into media and portrays the Vice President in a pretty malicious light.
Call Her Daddy Appearance Was Effective Outreach to Conservative Women
Harris appeared on Fox News on Oct. 16 to target folks in conservative areas who may vote against those around them. But for a younger audience, this episode may have had even more of an impact.
In my eyes, to appear on Fox is to try and appeal to a pretty dedicated Republican audience, who are less likely to change their minds. To appear on ‘Call Her Daddy’ is to appeal to a less informed group who live in more Republican areas. And importantly, to appeal to women who are more likely to be fed up with Trump’s sexism.
This brings me to where I think the Vice President made the most impact on Cooper’s audience. Harris spoke of Trump’s actions towards women. Then, the podcast felt like two friends griping about an overly touchy coworker—young female voters resonate with that.
She also responded to Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders comment that she doesn’t have anything “keeping her humble”, as she doesn’t have children of her own. “There are a whole lot of women out there who are not aspiring to be humble.” She declared, “This is not the 1950s anymore.”
In 2016, white women played a major role in electing Trump. The Vice President’s appearance on ‘Call Her Daddy’ shows a dedication— from both her and Alex Cooper— to not let that happen again.
