The Shady Side Of Alex Cooper

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Popular podcast host Alex Cooper has made a multi-million dollar empire off of a podcast that once touted strategies about landing sugar daddies and gave in-depth descriptions of sex moves to use in the bedroom. Now the self-proclaimed "Father Cooper" to her overwhelming fan base, the "Daddy Gang," Cooper's had to be a bit shady to get where she is today. She was once only half of the podcast "Call Her Daddy," before failed negotiations and a public fall-out led her and her former co-host, Sofia Franklyn, to be on the outs. Cooper continued the show without her partner, ultimately surpassing all expectations and using her "women's locker room" talk platform to rise to the highest-paid female podcaster in the world. The Pennsylvania native is only behind Joe Rogan for the No.1 overall — but she isn't quiet about gunning for the top spot.

In becoming a global superstar in the world of podcasts, Cooper has had to be unapologetically authentic. From open-ended conversations about her sex life to stories about how she was catfished and contracted an STI, there's nothing off the table when it comes to the Daddy Gang. And she's not afraid to call out anyone who stands in her way — whether it's her former colleague or ex-boyfriends. It's not personal, she says, it's simply the name of the game. "There's loyalty, but this is also business — and I'm a motherf***er when it comes to business," she told The Hollywood Reporter. So just how gritty can Father Cooper be? We're breaking down the shady side of Alex Cooper.

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Alex Cooper and Sofia Franklyn seemed to have an unbreakable bond at one point, from being roomies in the Big Apple to subsequently achieving fame with their hit podcast, "Call Her Daddy." But heavy is the head who wears the crown, and eventually, there was room for only one podcaster in the Daddy Gang.

The drama began in 2020 when Cooper and Franklyn were negotiating their contracts with Barstool Sports, who owned the show when it was launched in 2018. Cooper agreed to the terms, while Franklyn decided to jump ship — leaving her friend to run "Call Her Daddy" as a solo show. The break-up led to the end of their friendship, and both women have come forward to share differing accounts of what went down. According to Cooper, their business split due to Franklyn being unhappy over money and shares in the podcast. While Cooper was content with remaining with Barstool, Franklyn believed they could get more money from another company or with continual negotiation demands. "It got exhausting trying to appease all of Sophia's points and it got to the point where ... it felt like it was like sabotage. I'm like 'How much more can we ask for?'" she recounted in a "Call Her Daddy" episode.

As for Franklyn, she took to her Instagram Stories (via the New York Post), stating that Alex was "demanding control of the show" which led to their split. "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," she shared.

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There seems to be no reconciliation in sight for Alex Cooper and her former bestie, Sofia Franklyn. The "Sofia with an F" host sat down with "TMZ Verified" in 2022 to discuss her thoughts on Cooper years after their public fall-out, admitting some of the things she would change about the past if she had the chance.

"I think that we were both so hot-headed and so stubborn," Franklyn expressed. "I do wish [me and Alex] would have had more of a communication — but at the same time, I tried, right? I reached out and she wasn't having it." Still, the podcast host thinks it wouldn't have made a difference. "I think she knew what she wanted and she was willing to, you know, like, stomp on me."

As for Cooper, she told The Hollywood Reporter in 2024 that Franklyn hasn't crossed her mind much on the road to podcast domination. "I had put so much sweat equity into ['Call Her Daddy'] — marketing, editing, writing, all of it," Cooper explained. "On [Sofia's] side, she was like, 'I think we could start a show called 'Girls in the Bathroom,' or whatever, 'and it will be just as good.' And I was like, 'That may be true. But in my personal opinion, I'm not giving up this IP. I don't want to start over.'"

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Alex Cooper isn't afraid to call out her famous exes. The podcaster has always been open about talking about her former lovers, but she has opted for using monikers or disguising their identities to protect their confidentiality. Still, internet sleuths were able to connect the dots when she made some seriously shady comments about a professional baseball-playing ex of hers on her podcast.

In a fall 2023 episode of "Call Her Daddy," Cooper seemed to reference her ex-boyfriend, MLB player Noah Syndergaard, indirectly when she had guest Alix Earle on the show. Cooper and Syndergaard dated in 2017 for several months before calling it quits. "It can give us a little piece of mind, Alix, for everyone s***ting on us for our jobs, to know that people in the MLB locker rooms are forever going to be chanting our names until they f***ing retire, which I'm sure mine is on his way out," she teased. Cooper continued to blast his playing time, or lack thereof, stating, "He can't get a f***ing contract. It's not that I look [at the MLB news], people just send me this s***."

Syndergaard hasn't had the best of luck in recent years in the MLB, with the Cleveland Guardians releasing him in 2023 after six disappointing starts, and the Los Angeles Dodgers trading him before that. As far as career successes go, we think Cooper might just be out of his league...

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Alex Cooper was caught in legal trouble in 2024 over an incident with a photographer. In May of that year, the podcast host was sued by photographer Olivia Wolf after she claimed she suffered an injury when a member of Cooper's team lashed out at her. Wolf alleged she was hired to capture the "Call Her Daddy" founder's appearance at a Chicago club and attempted to shoot photos when "a person believed to be a member of Ms. Cooper's team entourage, unprovoked, began shouting and yelling at Ms. Wolf," according to court documents obtained by the New York Post.

The unnamed team member allegedly shouted, "Who the f*** are you?" and a physical altercation ensued, which caused Wolf to fall backward. The photographer claimed she was ignored after several attempts to reach out to the "Call Her Daddy" team. As for Cooper, her lawyer rebutted that she isn't involved. "Despite the rhetoric, this matter has nothing to do with Alex Cooper personally and is nothing more than an insurance claim which is being handled by the carrier," her attorney argued in a statement.

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Alex Cooper may be an idol to millions of fans everywhere, but that doesn't mean she doesn't struggle with her own insecurities. Father Cooper was called out in 2021 over a photo-editing controversy that saw internet sleuths uncovering her Facetuning social media posts.

In the "Call her Daddy" episode, "I Got Caught Photoshopping," Cooper revealed she was celebrating her birthday and snapping photos with friends when she had a change of heart about her outfit choice. "I didn't like how my body looked. That whole night, I felt so good and confident and happy. And then I saw those photos and I was upset," she recalled. Cooper ultimately downloaded Facetune to edit her body into an "hourglass" shape, but not before TikTok users found the same photo she posted on a friend's account and pointed out the differences.

Cooper expressed that she received death threats over the debacle, and she decided to be open about her photo-editing mishap. She also decided to never edit another social media post again after the faux pas. "People may be like, 'Oh my god, you're just admitting this because you got caught,'" Cooper exclaimed. "Yeah, but also no, but yes. I think in a way it's almost like an intervention."

Alex Cooper preaches female empowerment and sexual freedom, but not everybody believes her guests align with those same values. The host invited Netflix star Harry Jowsey to "Call Her Daddy" in 2024, but some of her fans weren't thrilled about the choice, especially since Jowsey has a reputation for toxicity in relationships. The situation is even more complicated because Cooper is technically Jowsey's boss, as she launched the Unwell Network that the "Too Hot to Handle" star works under with his "Boyfriend Material" podcast.

"I never understood why she signed Harry Jowsey to Unwell when she had Alix Earle and Madeline Argy — he did not fit into that crowd/brand at all," one user wrote on Reddit. "He gives me the ick," stated another viewer. Jowsey isn't winning over some of the Daddy Gang, but he has tried to own up to his mistakes.

The "Perfect Match" star admitted he has engaged in manipulative relationship tactics, claiming he is a "self-proclaimed Olympic-level love bomber" on an episode of his "Boyfriend Material" podcast. But rest assured Daddy Gang, he seems to be on the up-and-up. "Now 27-year-old Harry isn't love bombing as hard as he was at 26," he proclaimed.

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Alex Cooper made a name for herself by preaching about the empowerment of women romantically and sexually, and while she's transitioned to interview-style episodes, viewers have taken up issues with her encouragement of what some see as toxic dating patterns. Examples include giving her audience members tips on how to manipulate a situation to make a man jealous, or discussing her past rendezvous with emotionally unavailable men who would fly her out to see them while she indulged in a five-star lifestyle.

Still, viewers were along for the ride, indulging in the tumultuous years of her 20s with her as she navigated it alongside the Daddy Gang. But not everyone was keen on her approach to love, and although she ultimately found her Mr. Right in the end — she married producer Matt Kaplan in 2024 — people still have an issue with what her podcast was built on. Many see her as an anti-feminist, with some even relating her more to being a misogynist than a woman's activist.

"It creates an environment that tells women that their worth is in their sexual abilities, not their minds and souls. Replicating toxic behavior from men is not healthy behavior in life and should not be taught to women seeking advice," wrote Aya Hibben for The Daily Utah Chronicle. Still, Cooper insists that while she wants to empower women, her brand is not specifically feminist. "I'm a comedy podcast," she told Time. "I would not change any of the things that happened to me," she affirmed. "Those hotel moments, or whatever, they all taught me something. And yes, of course, the caliber I was doing it, people maybe think of that as aspirational. But we all go through our s***. But you're going to be able to figure it out."

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Alex Cooper doesn't have a problem with dating three men at once — especially to keep herself busy during the COVID-19 pandemic. But the "Call Her Daddy" host was in for a huge surprise that year when she found out her trio of suitors were quarantining together. In the "Seeking Arrangements: Our Story" episode, Cooper referenced a man she was seeing known as "The Canadian," who had sent her a photo with three of the people he was living with. "He sent me a photo. There's three men in the photo. I am talking to all three of those men," Cooper shared.

While the Pennsylvania native had no clue how "The Canadian" knew the two other men she was seeing at the time, she wasn't in any position to ask. "Then it gets worse, and they start group FaceTiming me together," she recalled. While the podcast host played it cool, and none of the men brought up the fact that they were all seeing the same girl, Cooper was forced to reconsider her options. "I got to play this strategically so I don't kill off two men that I haven't even f***ing met yet," she joked.

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Rent in New York City isn't cheap, which means Alex Cooper got creative when it came time to pay the landlord each month. The Unwell Network founder admitted she lost her job at an ad-sales company after graduating college, and she was living on unemployment checks when she decided to think outside the box. Cooper signed up for the Seeking Arrangements website, which is a platform for women to seek out relationships that offer financial compensation. Many liken it to a "sugar daddy" site, in which older men seek out younger women and pay them for their company.

"The goal was I never wanted to do anything with these men, it was just to go get drinks and dinner, and by the end of the night have enough money for rent," Cooper elaborated to Time. For safety, she would ask a friend to stake out at the location of the date. "We did crazy fun s*** like that, though in retrospect, I want everyone to be careful. I don't even know if you should be on that site," she advised.

Alex Cooper does many of her guests a big favor by editing out their cringeworthy statements. In a recent interview with Tish and Brandi Cyrus on their "Sorry We're Cyrus" podcast, she revealed that she often cuts out things she feels her guests would regret later — and has even scrapped one actor's interview altogether.

"I've had some people say some out-of-pocket rude s*** on the podcast and I edit it out sometimes," Cooper explained. "Sometimes I've been like, 'This is going to make you look really bad, and I'm going to choose to believe you didn't mean to say that,'" she added. While the "Call Her Daddy" host explained that guests don't come to her to make sure she deletes specific clips, she does so for their own good.

Cooper told The Hollywood Reporter that she's even gone so far as to not air a recorded episode when she didn't feel like it would satisfy her viewers. When asked which interview she liked the least, she responded, "I can't say their name. It was a male actor who just was giving nothing. You could tell he was on a press run. I didn't want to blow his butt up, but I was like, 'Bro, you don't want to be here.'" She ultimately agreed with the actor to scrap the episode completely. "I think it was a mutual respect thing of, 'Let's not air this because I don't want my listeners to come at you for not giving anything,'" she elaborated.

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Even Alex Cooper gets kicked out of the Hamptons on Fourth of July weekend. The Unwell Network founder relayed to her fans how she and her friends got the boot from a Hamptons hotspot in 2021, and she wasn't pleased about it. "I got kicked out of the bar," Cooper began on the episode, "What Happens in The Hamptons Does NOT Stay in The Hamptons," adding, "I am f***ing pissed about it."

Arriving at the Ruschmeyer's Hotel, Cooper described the "sardine"-like conditions of the line outside and the crowd inside. While the podcast host was able to pay a bouncer off to let her group inside the Montauk establishment, another bouncer asked to see their wristbands once they got inside, prompting their quick exit. "He opens the back door of the bar ... This bouncer's literally, telling all six of us to get the f*** out of the bar," Cooper remembered. Eventually, she and her friends made it back in after finding the bouncer they originally paid off, ending the night on a positive note.

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It's safe to say that Alex Cooper wasn't the biggest fan of the members of the former TikTok group, Sway House. The "Call Her Daddy" founder appeared on the "BFFs" podcast and chatted about group members Griffin Johnson, Noah Beck, Bryce Hall, Chase "Lil Huddy" Hudson, Blake Gray, and Jaden Hossler, who previously made up the viral content-creating collective.

Cooper told viewers that Griffin had slid in her DMs previously but was "too young" for her liking. "I think that they're just overdoing the lifting," she said of Beck's shredded physiques. "If a guy has that much on his body, I'm like 'You don't really make money and you don't have a job.'" She then critiqued Gray's hair, saying, "The blonde is not f***king working for him." She had kinder comments for Hossler, admitting, "He's not bad." She then compared Hall to Sid the Sloth from the Disney film, "Ice Age," and shared that Hudson "makes [her] uncomfortable." Ouch.