Call Her Daddy Podcast: Alex Cooper’s Rise from Dorm Room Confessions to a Production Powerhouse
In a sunlit studio that smells faintly of coffee and paper scripts, Alex Cooper flips through a guest list while engineers adjust a microphone for the next interview on the call her daddy podcast. What began as a candid college show has become the center of a growing media operation that now spans podcasts, beverage lines, production and a creative agency.
How did Call Her Daddy Podcast grow into an empire?
The show launched in 2018 as a two-host project with Sofia Franklyn and quickly moved from dorm-room conversations to a broader platform after an early acquisition. Downloads leapt dramatically in its first months, and the program evolved into a solo franchise when Alex Cooper continued the series alone in 2020. Time magazine described her in 2021 as “arguably the most successful woman in podcasting, ” and later commercial deals further transformed the program into proprietary intellectual property.
Alex Cooper, a podcaster and internet personality originally from Pennsylvania, negotiated major commercial arrangements that shifted ownership and distribution of the show. She secured a multi-year agreement that enabled expanded production and, later, ownership of the Call Her Daddy IP through a substantial deal with SiriusXM. Cooper has framed those moments as vindication of fighting for control of the brand, recalling an early rooftop offer and saying she trusted herself to secure the IP.
What projects has Alex Cooper launched through Unwell Productions?
Cooper built Unwell into a branded business that now includes a production arm, a network of podcasts, beverages, and a creative agency. Unwell Productions debuted with an audacious slate of three streaming projects: a 20th anniversary entertainment special tied to a legacy TV property she grew up with, a new dating-format show set on a luxury yacht that blends romance with competitive game structure, and a third project for a major streamer. The anniversary special pairs Cooper in an executive producer and host role with the original talent from that television property; the dating show places singles and couples in staged topside and “downsider” dynamics set on a Mediterranean location and uses dramatic eliminations that literally send contestants overboard.
Unwell Network also partnered with an enterprise podcast platform for distribution and signed creators to original shows; some talent departures followed as the operation scaled. At present, Unwell employs just under 100 people across its business units and continues developing additional unscripted and scripted formats while keeping the podcast as the company’s flagship property.
Who speaks for the brand, and what do the key voices say?
Alex Cooper, Founder of Unwell Productions and host of the Call Her Daddy Podcast, has been quoted describing the company’s expansion as translating audience intimacy into premium unscripted series: “This is a massive moment for Unwell’s evolution into a fully integrated media company. We’re taking that unparalleled consumer intimacy that we have at Unwell and translating it into premium unscripted series for major streamers. “
Sofia Franklyn, Cooper’s former co-host and college roommate, has spoken candidly about the breakdown of their relationship after the pair parted ways as co-hosts. In reflection, Cooper described the public perception of sisterhood as false, calling their relationship “so awful. ” Franklyn said she had believed they were best friends and described expectations of mutual support that did not align with what happened.
Institutional markers have tracked the financial impact of the brand: a major streaming agreement followed by a high-value deal for the IP, and placement on a top-earning creators list that recognized the company’s revenue. Those evaluations, alongside a growing Unwell staff and a multi-project production launch, frame the show’s transition from confessional podcast to a diversified media enterprise.
Back in the studio, the microphone is warm to the touch and a producer cues the next guest. The call her daddy podcast still operates as the cultural center of Cooper’s work, and the projects rolling out now will test whether a show born in a dorm room can sustain both intimacy and scale. The question hanging over the control room is not whether the brand can grow, but whether it can keep the candid voice that built it while operating as a full-fledged production company.
