Honestly, I've never listened to a single minute of this podcast before today so I have no idea what the appeal is. It seems like the idea is that it's a couple of girl-bros engaging in the podcast equivalent of shock jock schtick, or It's a show that is frequently, if not constantly, an explicit discussion of sex. The show has a large following and just recently signed a $125 million deal with Sirius XM.
Alex Cooper, longtime host of the popular “Call Her Daddy” podcast, signed a $125 million, three-year deal with SiriusXM, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The deal will take her show, along with the others in her Unwell audio network, to SiriusXM’s podcast network. The deal doubles Cooper’s previous $60 million, three-year deal with Spotify, announced in 2021.
“Call Her Daddy,” a bawdy podcast in which Cooper and her then-cohost Sofia Franklyn discussed all things sex and relationships, launched in 2018 and was quickly acquired by Barstool Sports. In 2020, the two had a disagreement regarding contracts with Barstool president Dave Portnoy, Variety reported. Cooper parted ways with Franklyn the same year and the show moved to Spotify in 2021. In 2023, “Call Her Daddy” was the second most popular podcast on Spotify worldwide.
It's the second biggest podcast after Joe Rogan, so that's why the Harris camp wants her on the show, but the fact that this is usually what Trump might call locker room talk seems a bit awkward.
NEW: Kamala Harris says she went on the 'Call Her Daddy' podcast because it talks about "things that people really care about."
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 6, 2024
Just two episodes ago, 1 hour and 13 minutes were spent on 'bl*w jobs, hall passes, and frat daddies.'
"I think you and your listeners have really got… pic.twitter.com/hgGZwGnA9P
There are lots of excerpts circulating from previous shows that I won't be posting here but suffice it to say the content is very explicit. It also seems intended to be a bit of escapism so some of the show's fans are not thrilled about it suddenly turning into a hard left political lecture.
The podcast’s Instagram account posted a short teaser video Sunday morning showing Cooper, 30, interviewing the Democratic presidential nominee.
However, some “Daddy Gang” members were not pleased with Harris’ appearance on the show and flooded the post’s comment section to express their frustration and criticize the show for getting political.
“One of my most favorite podcasts and now I’ll never listen again. unbelievable,” one user commented.
“oh nooo why did we have to get THIS political. listening to your podcasts was a nice escape from everything we hear about politics daily,” another fan wrote in the comments.
One person who listened said the turn from "hot skank" to "white Oprah" was jarring.
Okay I watched Call Her Daddy with Kamala. No news, just a very nervous Kamala talking to Alex like she's 13 and trying to avoid falling into any of her weird down-home accents.
— Peachy Keenan (@KeenanPeachy) October 6, 2024
Cooper's pivot from hot skank to White Oprah is so funny.
Cooper apparently refused to have political content on the show as recently as January because it just wasn't what her show was about.
In January, when the race looked very different, I asked Alex Cooper about interviewing politicians on Call Her Daddy. Here’s what she said then: pic.twitter.com/OFg1kZloo1
— Jessica Testa (@jtes) October 6, 2024
Obviously, she changed her mind and in the intro to the Harris interview she explained why.
Vice President Kamala Harris’ interview on Call Her Daddy with Alex Cooper is up.
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) October 6, 2024
Alex begins the episode by explaining to her listeners (who are ideologically diverse) why she decided to have the VP on.
She also says that former President Trump did not respond or declined her… pic.twitter.com/KQWzXXV5x1
Apart from the question of whether or not Harris should be going on a show like this, there's also the timing. The podcast was recorded a couple of days ago, just as the death toll from hurricane Helene was climbing. This seems like the kind of thing that would result in a lot of harsh media criticism if a Republican did it.
I’m no Bush defender, but the way the media covered Hurricane Katrina versus how they’re covering Hurricane Helene is objectively insane.
— Javon A. Price 🇺🇸 (@JavonAPrice) October 5, 2024
Bush was crucified and deemed a racist for his response, while Kamala is going on “Call Her Daddy” podcast while folks drown in NC. pic.twitter.com/tBLvUl8D13
But of course, Harris has plenty of defenders in the media including Brian Stelter.
The Kamala Harris episode of "Call Her Daddy" is up now. Alex Cooper's intro is incredibly thoughtful. She says she hesitated to "get involved" in an election dialogue but couldn't ignore it. https://t.co/E07W985KKD
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) October 6, 2024
So much ugly misogyny on this site today reacting to Harris going on "Call Her Daddy." If the people insulting Harris and slut-shaming Cooper actually listen to the episode, they'll find it's full of personal and political insights, and they'll get why Cooper is filthy rich.
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) October 6, 2024
This is why Stelter is there, to backstop Democratic media strategies and attack anyone who criticizes them. Can you slut-shame someone who runs this podcast?
In her own words: pic.twitter.com/uOGWyNbHs0
— Conservazoomer (@Conservazoomer) October 6, 2024
Anyway, there will be no media blowback for going on this show. Anyone who objects will be called a prude or a misogynist not just by Harris fans but by the media (who am I kidding, they're all Harris fans).
Will this work? I guess this is a way to get to young women and try to gain a few more votes from the group that is already supporting you. And if you have a candidate that can only do soft interviews with people who are already on your side, this is probably a safe bet. Harris will next be appearing on Colbert and Howard Stern.
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