Like it or not, social media influencers and podcasters have become legitimate earners. Of course, people are right to criticize those who want to become Insta-famous overnight or those who have no discernable talent and want to become a celebrity. But this is just the way of the world. The fact that highly controversial internet personalities like Jay Alvarrez can be somewhat relevant and that social media starlets like Pauline and Mathilde Tantot can actually make a living is pretty shocking. But it may be unfair to put Alexandra Cooper and Sofia Franklyn in the same boat. While they are both gorgeous models with huge Instagram followings that enable them to make some dough with product endorsements, they are also responsible for creating a podcast that people actually listen to. It's just a shame that the two women just couldn't get along.
Die-hard fans of the "Call Her Daddy" podcast know that the show was created by both Alex Cooper and Sofia Franklyn in 2018 despite the fact that the latter has absolutely nothing to do with the show anymore. Alex has become a massive celebrity due to the financial and critical success of her Spotify podcast. But she's also been wrapped up in tons of drama with TikTok stars, Logan Paul, Barstool Sports, and her former co-host. Here's what actually happened...
From Nobodies To Two Of The Biggest Names In Podcasting
Alexandra Cooper didn't set out to have a more traditional life. After growing up in a small town, Alex got accepted to Boston University and played soccer on their division one team. By all accounts, she could have strived to become a professional athlete. But her life outside of soccer involved a lot of partying and an interest in media and entertainment.
Eventually, she put soccer aside, moved to New York City, and started dating a pro baseball player, Noah Syndergaard. After their relationship ended, Alex was introduced to Sofia Franklyn. At the time, Alex claims she was on unemployment and was doing everything she could to make money... mostly by vlogging. Without a doubt, her life started to look very different than her days at BU.
According to Alex, she was contacted by a friend working at a start-up who suggested that she and Sofia start a podcast. The two women spent most of their time together chatting about culture, sexuality, and dating... the basis of the "Call Her Daddy" podcast. Together, Alex and Sofia created four episodes of their show and this got the attention of David Portnoy at Barstool Sports.
David could see the immediate reaction fans were having to these two beautiful young women, their authentic chemistry, and the fact that they had no problem discussing the gritty details of relationships, sex, and culture for public consumption. In fact, in many ways, it revolutionized podcasting in 2020. They signed a deal with Barstool Sports that offered them raises at the end of every year, but due to the success of the show, Alex and Sofia believed they were actually worth more than what they were being paid.
Sofia And Alex Ended On Terrible Terms
After a lengthy battle with Barstool Sports, which involved Sofia's then-boyfriend who was a lawyer with the desire to shop the podcast elsewhere, Alex believed that they got what they wanted financially. But Sofia wasn't happy. The conflict with Barstool ended up bringing a lot of skeletons out of the closet. Sofia and Alex's friendship crumbled under accusations of "using" as well as one person doing more work than the other. It caused Sofia to leave "Call Her Daddy" and Alex to continue on without her.
"I don't really know how a friendship breakup feels, and part of the reason why is I realized later that this person was never my friend," Sofia said publicly after she left "Call Her Daddy". "I think I was completely just used as a vessel to get famous. She saw me, thought I was funny, she thought we had good chemistry. I confused that with a friendship and it really was just a business ploy on her end."
While Sofia may or may not be right about Alex's intentions, there's no doubt that Alex became vastly more successful since Sofia left the show. In the summer of 2021, Alex finally ended her turbulent relationship with David and Barstool Sports and move on to a highly lucrative deal with Spotify. Millions of people have tuned into Alex's revamped "Call Her Daddy" podcast and the show has attracted a number of major celebrities including Miley Cyrus and Larry David's daughter, Cazzie. But it's also made Alex a ton of money.
But at what cost?
In a recent interview, Sofia Franklyn claimed that she is still not over the collapse of her part in "Call Her Daddy" and the destruction of her friendship with Alex. “I’m still not recovered, to be completely honest, like I still have things that are lingering from that, and it happened a year ago. Mental health, not good, let’s put it that way.”
Is some sort of reconciliation between Alex and Sofia in the near future? ...Probably not.