The Call Her Daddy controversy has been keeping the quarantine interesting, but the podcast's legacy will pave the way for a new era of locker room talk.
(@CallHerDaddy/Instagram)
Drama has never been a stranger to Call Her Daddy, but recently it’s taken on a life of its own.
If you’re in need of a little context, Call Her Daddy, produced by Barstool Sports, was a refreshing take on the lives of women in the age of locker room talk. In a few short years, hosts Alex Cooper and Sofia Franklyn revolutionized the way women talked about sex, politics and internet culture––all it takes is one segment to realize that.
While some critics of the podcast say it sexualizes the two women's raunchy exploits, others call it a much-needed change of pace where Alex and Sofia "aggressively break the stigma that a woman should only aim to please a man..."
Alex and Sofia have been hinting at a big change in the podcast's future for months, but no one expected what transpired in the past week. It all began when the pair decided to renegotiate their contracts.
Call Her Daddy took off a few months after Alex and Sofia signed their initial contract and quickly the $75,000 salary they agreed to was a laughing stock among other hosts at Barstool. The girls were bringing in an enormous audience, far different than what other Barstool podcasts bring in, plus merchandise sales.
Contract negotiations quickly became subject to approval from Sofia's boyfriend, HBO Sports Executive Peter Nelson. He claimed the girls' compensation fell far below industry level and advocated for more, and more, and more.
Quickly things fell apart as Alex and Sofia began to realize they had conflicting interests. A deal began to seem unlikely with Alex representing herself and Peter representing Sofia.
David Portnoy, president of Barstool, took to Instagram to share his side of the story. Unsurprisingly, Portnoy ended the video with "PETER NELSON, GO F*CK YOURSELF" in true Call Her Daddy fashion.
(Editor's note: Portnoy was set to speak at UF in the Spring. Go Gators... I guess?)
No matter which side of the feud you fall on, everyone can agree what started as a few homemade videos in 2018 snowballed into gangs of girls revitalizing the idea of Wednesday’s and preaching about the Gluck Gluck 9000 all over the country.
Call Her Daddy is refreshing. It reassured women that as crazy as they thought their ex was, there could always be crazier; as steamy as they thought their sex life was, there was always a way to take it up a notch; and as much as men were hailed for their locker room talk, women could always find a way to do it and do it better.
There’s a reason Alex and Sofia landed themselves on Apple Music’s Top 20 podcasts — they have no shame exploiting their personal lives and all the territory that comes along with it.
Blowing up their lives was no simple mistake. Doing so plummeted them into a new era of stardom with access to various social media platforms to channel their popularity right at their fingertips –– one that Barstool didn't let them pursue under their contract.
This recent influencer-celebrity status comes with a lot more than just access to Raya. How about the ability to monetize every relationship you cultivate and every move you make? Hello Instagram sponsorships, product placements and Alex’s newest video last night — highly recommend watching if you want to catch up on the tea.
Their contract stifled them from using their platform to it's full advantage and eventually came between their friendship --- What ever happened to chicks before dicks?
While the future of the podcast and Alex and Sofia’s relationship may look entirely different, one thing is for sure: Call Her Daddy paved the way for a new era of locker room talk and a new standard for stories about your psycho ex.
We all knew Alex and Sofia had outgrown the tired, old, worn out running shoes they wore when they first began at BarStool Sports. The real question is how they’ll handle finally sizing up to some Louboutins.
Emily Locke is a contributing writer to Rowdy Magazine's print and online versions.
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