Call Her Daddy

“Do you call him Daddy?”

“Do I call her Daddy?”

“Call her Daddy.”

If Barstool Sports releases content that teeters on the line of inappropriate and offensive, Call Her Daddy ignores that line completely. What began as a drunken conversation in Mexico has landed two young women full-time jobs at Barstool Sports as the hosts of one of the most listened to podcasts on iTunes, since its first four episodes were released on October 3, 2018. Alexandra Cooper, 24, and Sofia Franklyn, 26, had recently been introduced to each other and became roommates in New York City. When they went on vacation together, after having one too many drinks, their conversation turned into “locker-room” talk that attracted a crowd. Apparently, their audience wanted more; a woman mentioned that if they had a talk-show she would listen every day. After returning home Cooper and Franklyn decided to run with the idea, and Call Her Daddy was born.

Call Her Daddy is so successful because there is absolutely nothing else like it out there. Perhaps that is what Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy saw when he asked Cooper and Franklyn to join his team after discovering them on Instagram. On September 26, 2018 Portnoy announced their arrival to Barstool in a short article where he wrote, “So we are adding a new podcast to our lineup. Call Her Daddy. How did we find them? Simple. They were doing their own gig and I noticed them on Instagram and thought it was very good…they just had that certain something that caught my attention.”

More often than not sex and hook-up culture is the topic of discussion, and it’s completely unfiltered. Cooper and Franklyn offer their raw advice to males and females and answer questions sent in from listeners. Since releasing their podcast, they have coined some pretty raunchy terms, ones you will have to find out on your own. Other topics include embarrassing stories from their everyday lives and happenings in the NYC social scene. They sometimes address celebrity topics, including some that seem to have an issue with the podcast. The Barstool Sports website describes Call Her Daddy as “Exploiting their lives to make you feel better about yours.” In just a little over four months, the Call Her Daddy Instagram page has accumulated 314k followers and they’ve repeatedly appeared on the Top Chart for iTunes podcasts, at times securing the number 1 spot.

But do not think Call Her Daddy is just a podcast for the ladies. Some episodes are almost completely centered around advice and stories for guys. Some of the criticism the show has attracted centers on the fact that if the show was written by and released by men it would never last because it would be called sexist and misogynist. To that, Cooper and Franklyn say, “Screw that.”

The podcast currently has 21 episodes released with a new one every Wednesday. “The episodes incorporate Cooper and Franklyn’s real-life experiences and stories with questions and wild tales written in from their loyal followers known as “daddies”, all a part of the now popular “Daddy Gang.” While critics have accused Cooper and Franklyn of fabricating some of their stories, the podcast hosts claim they never lie on their show and, yes, they really are just that crazy.

Prior to becoming “Father” of the Daddy Gang, as daddies call her, Cooper already had a reputation for entertaining content: she is a YouTube vlogger with currently 20,842 subscribers. Her content includes beauty tutorials, stories from her personal life, and her crazy adventures with men who have her traveling from New York City to Miami, Seattle, and a surprise trip to Paris. Her untamed energy matched with her ability to deliver the truth without any sugarcoating creates a refreshing kind of humor rarely expressed from female content creators. Paired with Franklyn, who admits to being “psycho”, especially when it comes to the guys, has proved herself to be just as open and shameless as Cooper. The two girls have said that initially, they didn’t love each other, but once they began sharing crazy stories about their life, they bonded immediately.

I have listened to all the available episodes of Call Her Daddy since the release, and some of my reactions have included: choking on my breakfast, sitting at a red light in tears from laughing, making repugnant faces on my walks to class, and pretty much doing everything but shoving headphones into my friend’s ears trying to get them to listen. Although I don’t agree with, or want to do, all of the things they discuss, I have to admit they are de-stigmatizing women expressing themselves sexually, and taking pressure off of the discussion around taboo topics.

While Cooper and Franklyn have said their families are cringing in their hometowns, and New Yorkers recognize them more and more on the streets, it is clear that the Call Her Daddy girls are here to stay. Whether you think they’re promiscuous sexists, or want to purchase their new merchandise, there is no doubt that Cooper and Franklyn will make a long drive or a workout in the gym all the more interesting.