Home / Arts and Entertainment / Portnoy: Cooper & Franklyn Planned Harassment Claim
Portnoy: Cooper & Franklyn Planned Harassment Claim
30 Jun
Summary
- Portnoy claims hosts planned to allege harassment to break contracts.
- Call Her Daddy podcast became a phenomenon, outgrowing Barstool.
- Cooper fought to retain Call Her Daddy IP, while Franklyn aimed to restart.
In a recent interview, media mogul Dave Portnoy detailed the acrimonious departure of "Call Her Daddy" hosts Alex Cooper and Sofia Franklyn from Barstool Sports. Portnoy claims the former co-hosts had devised a strategy to allege sexual harassment as a means to break free from their contracts.
Launched in late 2018, "Call Her Daddy" quickly gained traction despite its divergence from Barstool's typical content. Portnoy acknowledged the podcast's immense success, which eventually led to contract renegotiations in 2020 and their eventual exit.
During these discussions, Portnoy asserts Cooper and Franklyn were prepared to "burn any bridge" to advance their careers. He revealed that Cooper confessed to a plan where she and Franklyn would claim they were sexually harassed to void their agreements.
Cooper, in a separate 2024 interview, confirmed the intense negotiations and her fight to retain the "Call Her Daddy" intellectual property. She expressed gratitude for securing the IP, which allowed her to become a media mogul, while acknowledging Franklyn's preference to start a new show rather than continue with Barstool.
