Sofia Franklyn has officially shared her perspective on her falling out with Alex Cooper in her new memoir, Daddy Issues. Released on Tuesday, the 240-page book offers an in-depth look at the relationship between the two women who co-created the viral podcast Call Her Daddy in 2018. The podcast, originally launched under Barstool Sports, gained a massive following for its candid discussions on taboo topics, but the partnership ended abruptly in 2020. Cooper has since continued the show solo, moving it to major platforms like Spotify and SiriusXM, while Franklyn launched her own program, Sofia with an F.
Franklyn, who has over 619,000 Instagram followers, recounts her early struggles in New York City, where she moved to escape an abusive relationship. She describes a period of intense loneliness after leaving a job with a toxic boss at Morgan Stanley. Her life changed when a stranger in a ride-share app connected her with Cooper and Cooper’s childhood friend, Lauren, who were seeking a third roommate. Although Franklyn and Cooper quickly became inseparable, Lauren began to notice a shift in their dynamic. Franklyn writes that Lauren questioned why Cooper seemed to "toss" her aside, stating that Franklyn’s arrival made it feel like Lauren never existed. Lauren also suggested that Cooper used Franklyn for her appearance at social events, a claim that initially made Franklyn feel defensive.
Warnings continued from other members of Cooper’s inner circle. Muji, a childhood friend of Cooper who worked on the podcast, reportedly told Franklyn that Cooper did not truly have friends. After Cooper abruptly fired Muji, he warned Franklyn that Cooper was going to "f" her. Franklyn claims she ignored these signs until the duo’s popularity skyrocketed at Barstool, where they gained creative control with the blessing of company founder Dave Portnoy. However, Franklyn felt the atmosphere change after a holiday party where she suffered from anxiety and had a fight with Cooper. Cooper allegedly told Franklyn that Portnoy and others noticed her aggressive behavior and wanted to fire her. Franklyn later learned that Cooper used the incident to negotiate a raise, securing $20,000 more annually than Franklyn received.
The professional split became unavoidable in 2020 during contract negotiations. Franklyn writes that she and Cooper proposed a 50/50 split of revenue and a minimum guarantee of $1 million each per year. The central issue was the intellectual property of the podcast, which Barstool owned. Despite agreeing to stay together and even brainstorming a spin-off title, Franklyn was eventually ousted. Portnoy called Franklyn to inform her that Cooper had met with him separately and proposed continuing without her. Portnoy suggested Franklyn could start her own show, which Barstool would promote heavily. He also noted that Cooper had hired her own lawyer and claimed Franklyn was dragging out the process.
Following her departure, Franklyn states that Cooper locked her out of their shared social media accounts and released a 52-minute YouTube video titled "The Truth about Call Her Daddy." In the video, Cooper described Franklyn as a liability. Six years later, the video remains online and has accumulated 4.6 million views. The memoir also opens with a scene involving Franklyn’s book agent, who reported an angry phone call from Matt Kaplan, a Hollywood producer married to Cooper since 2024. Kaplan co-founded the Unwell Network with Cooper. Franklyn writes that Kaplan threatened to sue over the book. Representatives for Unwell told the New York Times that Kaplan never discussed the claims or intent to sue with Franklyn’s publisher, Verve. Neither Portnoy nor Cooper’s representatives responded to comment requests on Tuesday.
The publication of the memoir provides a detailed account of the interpersonal and business dynamics that led to the end of one of the most popular podcasts in recent years. Franklyn’s narrative highlights the complexities of their friendship and the high stakes involved in their collaboration. While Cooper has maintained her solo success, Franklyn’s book offers listeners a new perspective on the events that defined the early years of Call Her Daddy. The release of Daddy Issues is likely to reignite public interest in the story behind the podcast’s creation and its eventual split.
