Everything You Need to Know About the Bizarre ‘Call Her Daddy’ Podcast Feud Between Dave Portnoy and ‘Suitman’
Long story short, the feud between the hosts of the popular Barstool Sports podcast, Call Her Daddy, and the founder comes down to money. Doesn’t it always? But this story has a strange twist and thanks to the internet, fans are very involved in what’s happening.
Here’s everything you need to know about the epic fight between Alexandra Cooper, Sofia Franklyn, Dave Portnoy, and the mysterious “Suitman.”
What is ‘Call Her Daddy’ podcast?
There are thousands of podcasts out there but few achieve the levels of success that Barstool Sports shows have. The sports and pop culture blog has grown to include multiple podcasts, merchandise, blogs, videos, photos, and even an amateur boxing league. The website draws millions of viewers every month.
One popular podcast under the Barstool Sports umbrella is Call Her Daddy. During the show, two best friend hosts Cooper and Franklyn get candid about sex and encourage women to become more confident in the bedroom. The X-rated show Call Her Daddy has been one of the top-ranked iTunes podcasts since it launched in 2018.
However, the two friends haven’t released a new show since April because of stalled contract negotiations. And now the story just got weirder.
Cooper and Franklyn might be faking their friendship
For starters, the two co-hosts present themselves as best friends, roommates, and confidants, but at least one insider said the whole sisterhood is one big sham — at least right now.
“They’re not speaking to each other anymore,” the insider revealed to New York Post. “They’ve completely turned on each other and started arguing over who was the real talent and who did more of the heavy lifting [for the podcast].”
They continued: “I think their audience would be surprised to learn what has been going on behind the scenes with them. It’s not the loyal, fun-loving friendship they put out there.”
Who is ‘Suitman’ and how did he affect contract negotiations?
Part of the issue is that Franklyn’s boyfriend, HBO Sports executive vice president Peter Nelson, inserted himself into contact negotiations and drove a wedge between the two women, plus between Franklyn and Portnoy.
The co-hosts had a three-year contract with Barstool Sports that they wanted to sever one year early. Each woman received an annual base salary of $75,000 plus an additional $2,500 an episode for every 10 percent of listeners they attracted above the show’s average.
Fans of the show started calling Nelson “Suitman” and slamming him for involving himself in the negotiations at all. The insider claimed the HBO exec helped spur their departure, and that Nelson was “quietly shopping [Franklyn and Cooper] even though they were still under contract with Barstool.”
Portnoy claimed he was willing to negotiate
Instead of sitting quietly, the Barstool Sports founder released a podcast episode of his own defending his actions.
Portnoy also claimed he was willing to negotiate with the hosts. “We offered them mid- to high six-figure salaries and a way for them to get the intellectual property,” he said. “We offered them substantial raises just to get them to honor their existing contract.”
With the new offer, Cooper was on board to finish out her contract, but Franklyn still refused. This has allegedly caused the rift between the two friends and stalled the show, possibly permanently. Neither of the women is able to speak publicly about the battle but another inside source told the Post it’s all Nelson’s influence.
“They’re definitely estranged right now. A lot of it is Peter’s doing,” they said.
We definitely haven’t heard the last of this drama.
