A few months ago, I would’ve told you that Call Her Daddy is a way for men to get off by listening to hot girls talk about sex. A few months ago, I had never listened to Call Her Daddy. The podcast appeared on my radar this summer when the drama between the hosts exploded on social media. The show’s two hosts, Alex Cooper and Sofia Franklyn, split ways when they couldn’t agree on a contract with Barstool Sports, the podcast’s parent company. I was so absorbed in the drama, despite never listening to the show, and ended up watching Cooper’s 30-minute YouTube video about her experience with Franklyn and the subsequent “divorce.” 

Cooper explained that she edited the show alone and received little help from Franklyn all around. There were lots of messy financial behind-the-scenes moves and decisions, but, ultimately, the new contract with Barstool Sports made Cooper the show’s sole host. Cooper, a self-proclaimed “single father,” now interviews influencers and musicians, most notably being Miley Cyrus, and documents her sex and dating life throughout the episodes. 

When I started listening to the podcast, my appreciation for its content and Cooper’s unabashed personality grew. What I love about Call Her Daddy is its fearless, female perspective on sex and Cooper’s jaw-dropping honesty. 

It’s a rare occurrence to hear women talk about sex. It’s almost unheard of to hear women talk about sex from a female perspective: how to pleasure a female partner, how women can pleasure themselves, what sex toys to try, etc. Call Her Daddy covers those topics in great detail (maybe too great, sometimes). Cooper, and previously Franklyn, never flinch from a topic no matter how taboo and graphic they might end up being. As someone who has always felt uncomfortable talking about sex even with my closest friends, it’s freeing to hear Cooper owning her sexuality and normalizing female pleasure. 

This isn’t to say that I agree with everything said on the podcast. Pre-summer-breakup-drama, the episodes occasionally danced on the line of objectifying women and promoting toxic relationships with their focus on “playing” with the emotions of your current or potential partners and how to win games of emotional chess. “Cheat or be cheated on” is a phrase coined on the show, something I find unnerving and callous towards those who have experienced pain from an unfaithful partner. 

That being said, in recent episodes Cooper has vocalized her desire to interview people with diverse backgrounds and has expressed her anxieties about running the podcast solo. One of the most recent episodes, titled “Bisexuality&Depression,” covers the life of singer-songwriter Maggie Lindemann and her journey with sexuality and mental illness. Lindemann’s interview breaks from the show’s focus on sex tips for straight, binary-gendered persons and rare discussions of how relationships and mental health intersect. The episode marks a turn for the show and its representation of sex and relationships in all kinds of people.

Call Her Daddy is transforming into the best possible version of itself. Cooper maintains the show’s prized vulgarity and openness around sex while also interviewing guests with increasingly diverse backgrounds. Call Her Daddy is far more than just Barstool guys hoping to get some action; the show embodies aspects of female empowerment not seen in other mainstream podcasts. 

By Marla Hiller

La Croix obsessed, coffee addicted, podcast fanatic.

This article is specifically pertains to the empowerment felt from Call Her Daddy, and is in no way an approval of the Barstool ecosystem as a whole.