Dave Portnoy revisited Alex Cooper and Sofia Franklyn‘s acrimonious exit from Barstool Sports activities, with the media mogul revealing that the previous Name Her Daddy co-hosts had a plan to say they had been sexually harassed in an effort to get out of their contracts.
In a brand new interview with the WSJ Journal printed on Friday, Portnoy mentioned his new memoir Cancel Me If You Can which touches on podcasters Cooper and Franklyn, firstly on how they got here to affix the performatively masculine Barstool empire after which how they ended up exiting in a blaze of gossip and fury.
Name Her Daddy was began by roommates Cooper and Franklyn in October 2018. Following unimaginable instant development, a month later Barstool added the podcast to its lineup of sports activities centered exhibits. Regardless of Name Her Daddy being the polar reverse of the same old Barstool fare, Portnoy says within the interview that Cooper and Franklyn’s pitch struck him as one thing “completely different.” “It’s not my cup of tea however I do know I haven’t seen it earlier than. Let’s give it a shot,” he added.
The gamble paid off and the female-first recommendation and comedy podcast grew to become a phenomenon, a lot in order that Name Her Daddy had seemingly outgrown Barstool, which led to fraught contract negotiations with Cooper and Franklyn in 2020 and an eventual breakup. Portnoy says that Cooper and Franklyn had been “keen to step on my neck and burn any bridge to get forward.”
Portnoy makes the declare within the WSJ interview that Cooper instructed him that she and Franklyn had a plan to say they had been sexually harassed at Barstool to get out of their contracts. For context, Barstool as an organization, and Portnoy personally, have persistently been accused of peddling misogyny over time.
Additionally within the interview, Portnoy confirms that Cooper and Franklyn “hated one another.” After the duo left Barstool, they engaged in a public battle that noticed them go their separate methods. Franklyn would begin her personal podcast Sofia with an F, and Cooper would proceed utilizing the Name Her Daddy model and set up herself as a media mogul together with her firm The Unwell Community.
In a 2024 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Cooper mentioned her working relationship with Portnoy, the breakup with Franklyn and why she fought so laborious to realize the Name Her Daddy IP earlier than leaving Barstool.
“I’m so pleased that I trusted myself and fought for this IP [the Call Her Daddy brand and show archive],” stated Cooper. “As a result of I’ll always remember the day [Barstool founder] Dave Portnoy supplied us that IP on a rooftop and I used to be so elated and being like, “I’ll keep one other 12 months. I’ll do no matter it takes. I would like that IP.” As a result of I had put a lot sweat fairness into this — advertising and marketing, modifying, writing, all of it. On [Sofia’s] facet, she was like, “I believe we might begin a present known as Women within the Lavatory, ” or no matter, “and it is going to be simply pretty much as good.” And I used to be like, “That could be true. However in my private opinion, I’m not giving up this IP. I don’t wish to begin over.” Thank God I noticed the price of the IP and the emblems and the catalog. That’s what involves my thoughts. The minute I signal a brand new deal, each time, I textual content Dave Portnoy a little bit thank-you.”
Cooper additionally instructed THR that Portnoy was in a bind with what to do with Name Her Daddy. “He was in a troublesome place. We had been making him a lot cash, and the present had blown up so closely,” Cooper stated. “We wished to renegotiate as a result of we had been making pennies in comparison with what the present was making for Barstool. I went in there with my companion to ask for extra money. If we broke contract, what might the corporate do? He acknowledged there was no different approach than to appease us and get another 12 months out of the present.”
On why Portnoy couldn’t simply recast Name Her Daddy with new folks, Cooper stated he couldn’t do it. “Once I first signed with Barstool, each single present had emoji characters on their album cowl — they had been creating IP the place they may all the time put new folks into the chairs. However I fought actually laborious to get our faces on that paintings,” Cooper stated.
She added, “I used to be making an attempt to pressure their hand in order that if you considered Name Her Daddy, you considered us. So when he supplied the IP together with not a lot cash for another 12 months, I didn’t give a shit in regards to the cash. I used to be like, “This IP is a gold mine. I’m going to be a multimillionaire and can be set for all times if I simply keep one 12 months.” I’ll by no means choose my ex co-host and former companion for making the choice she did. She actually noticed the lane of not desirous to work one other 12 months for Barstool, and I didn’t, and that’s enterprise.”
