Summary
- Call Her Daddy's move from Spotify to SiriusXM marks a significant milestone for the popular podcast and its host, Alex Cooper.
- Cooper's vision for the show includes transitioning to video podcasts to enhance audience connection and exploring new content avenues.
- The podcast's past feud with Barstool Sports, Sofia Franklyn's departure, and its current deal with SiriusXM have all shaped its turbulent journey.
Alex Cooper's wildly successful podcast Call Her Daddy is moving from Spotify to SiriusXM.
Call Her Daddy has been through some major moves since its inception in 2018, but a deal inked by Cooper to move from Spotify to SiriusXM is the biggest yet.
Call Her Daddy began as a "sex and advice" podcast known for its candid approach, and as was the case with many entertainment properties, the pandemic inadvertently shaped its evolution:
"The [Call Her Daddy] podcast was initially centered on themes of relationships, sexuality, and personal encounters, but ... its focus shifted toward women's rights, mental health, and the importance of therapy.
" ... Cooper aspires to motivate and offer insights to young girls and women who tune in. Moreover, she envisions transitioning to video podcasts, aiming to establish a more intimate connection between her audience and the interview experience."
In the world of podcasting, Call Her Daddy is a massive player, particularly in terms of podcasts led by women, and the newly announced deal demonstrates that.
Call Her Daddy's Deal With SiriusXM Is Massive
Call Her Daddy originally had two hosts when it debuted in 2018: Alex Cooper and Sofia Franklyn.
That same year, Call Her Daddy entered into a three-year contract with Dave Portnoy's Barstool Sports, one which later devolved into a high-profile "feud" over its future.
An attorney's analysis of the initial dispute between Call Her Daddy and Barstool noted that the podcast's runaway success and profitability left its hosts feeling undercompensated, and it outlined the "sides" of the conflict:
"One of the important things to remember is that this agreement was made before 'Call Her Daddy' had any success. This [put] Cooper and Franklyn at a disadvantage because in the beginning they would have very little bargaining power.
"As a company, Barstool is taking the risk by paying Cooper and Franklyn a salary with performance-based incentives, without any proof of concept ... Without Barstool’s massive network behind them, it would likely have taken much longer to build a following as large as the one they had built with Barstool behind them ..."
In the aftermath, Sofia Franklyn left the podcast, later saying she felt "betrayed" by Alex.
Last July, Rolling Stone interviewed Sofia, and recapped the feud, its parties, and how Franklyn parted ways with Cooper:
"The dramatic split between the two co-hosts, who were best friends and roommates, divided fans of the show and sparked major backlash online.
"At the time, Cooper and Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy revealed certain details of how and why the 'Call Her Daddy' deal fell apart, placing most of the blame on Franklyn and publicly aligning against her.
"The narrative was that Franklyn was shopping the podcast around to other media companies with her then-boyfriend, HBO Sports executive vice president Peter Nelson, and Portnoy went as far as calling the women 'unprofessional, disloyal, and greedy' [amid] the renegotiations.
"Cooper ultimately wanted to stick with Barstool, putting the two women at odds and leading to the demise of their podcast and friendship."
In June 2021, Call Her Daddy left Barstool in a $60 million deal with Spotify, granting the streamer exclusive access to the popular podcast.
On August 20, SiriusXM issued a press release, breaking the news of its acquisition of Call Her Daddy and announcing:
"Global podcast powerhouse Alex Cooper signed a new multi-year agreement with SiriusXM.
"The deal features a comprehensive programming development strategy for exclusive content with SiriusXM, expected to begin rolling out in 2025.
It also brings SiriusXM exclusive advertising and distribution rights, content, events, and more for Cooper’s flagship podcast, 'Call Her Daddy,' as well as Unwell’s popular lineup of shows, to the audio entertainment company and its industry-leading SiriusXM Podcast Network."
SiriusXM acknowledged the deal was "multi-year," but didn't mention the total value of the deal.
Although the precise value of SiriusXM's Call Her Daddy deal has not been disclosed, Alex herself shared a screenshot of a headline placing it at around $125 million — suggesting that the figure is at least in that ballpark.
