Dave Portnoy is revisiting one of podcasting’s biggest feuds with a fresh round of bombshell allegations. In his new memoir “Cancel Me If You Can,” the Barstool Sports founder claims the fallout between “Call Her Daddy” hosts Alex Cooper and Sofia Franklyn was even messier behind the scenes than fans ever knew.
The new claims revisit the infamous 2020 split that reshaped the hit podcast, with Portnoy accusing the former co-hosts of plotting drastic measures to escape their Barstool contracts before ultimately turning on each other.
Dave Portnoy alleges Alex Cooper and Sofia Franklyn’s bitter split was even messier than fans ever realized
According to Page Six, Portnoy alleges Cooper and Franklyn considered falsely accusing him of sexual harassment to get out of their Barstool Sports deals. In “Cancel Me If You Can,” he claims Cooper told him they planned to say they had both been sexually harassed if he refused to release the “Call Her Daddy” intellectual property.
Portnoy further alleges Cooper later decided to move forward without Franklyn, writing that she asked whether she could receive the entire “Call Her Daddy” IP if she accepted his proposed deal alone. He also claims she privately raised concerns about Franklyn’s alleged substance issues.
Neither Cooper nor Franklyn has publicly responded to the allegations. Page Six reported it reached out to both women for comment.
The podcast’s behind-the-scenes tension isn’t entirely new. In her Hulu docuseries “Call Her Alex,” Cooper admitted their relationship wasn’t what fans believed. “People genuinely believe you’re like sisters, but our relationship was so awful,” she said.
Portnoy also admitted in the memoir that he leaned into the feud rather than trying to repair it. He writes that he wanted the former friends to launch competing podcasts, adding, “Let’s squeeze every last drop out of this fracture for as long as possible.” He also claims he leaked details of their split to The New York Post to keep them from reuniting against him.
The two hosts have taken very different paths since then. Cooper retained ownership of the Call Her Daddy brand, which is now owned through her company, according to U.S. Patent and Trademark Office records cited by Page Six. She is expecting her first child with husband Matt Kaplan.
Meanwhile, Franklyn launched “Sofia With An F” and is preparing to release her memoir, “Daddy Issues,” later this year. Speaking to Rolling Stone in February, she said writing the book was her own decision. “Six years ago, I was reeling from an experience I didn’t understand. I needed to grow up and be free of ego as much as humanly possible,” she said.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK DAVE PORTNOY’S NEW CLAIMS WILL CHANGE HOW FANS VIEW THE CALL HER DADDY SPLIT?
