Alex Cooper Says Trump’s Campaign Reached Out About Coming on ‘Call Her Daddy’
Alex Cooper said Donald Trump’s campaign reached out to her team about appearing on her popular “Call Her Daddy” podcast — but Cooper ultimately hosted Vice President Kamala Harris instead.
Cooper, speaking Wednesday at the New York Times’ DealBook Summit in New York City, said she “didn’t want to technically get into politics” but she decided to have Harris on her show because she saw it as an opportunity to have “a larger conversation.”
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Both presidential campaigns had reached out about appearing on “Call Her Daddy,” Cooper said: “We had a Zoom call with Trump’s team. I wasn’t on it.” The prospect of having Harris on her show was interesting because “I’m a very competitive person,” Cooper said, and she thought, “How do we keep ramping this shit up?”
Cooper said she focused the interview with Harris on abortion: “It’s about women’s right to their body. Why not have someone on [‘Call Her Daddy’] who could have a big effect on the country? So I did it. And it was fun.” She said the time she spent researching for the interview was “probably the most I ever did.”
After the interview with Harris in early October, Cooper said that people asked her, “Why didn’t you ask about the border?” She continued, “I don’t know — go watch CNN. I want to talk about what’s important to my audience.”
Cooper denied reports that the Harris campaign spent $100,000 to build a set in Washington, D.C., that looked like the original “Call Her Daddy” studio. “Not true,” she said. “My studio that is gorgeous in Los Angeles doesn’t cost six figures.”
DealBook’s Andrew Ross Sorkin, who interviewed Cooper, asked her whether Harris should have gone on Joe Rogan’s podcast, as Trump did. Cooper said, “I’m the not the Vice President of the United States… I think that’s up to her,” adding, “I think she could could have hung with him… I just did my job.”
Cooper admitted that she feels competitive with Rogan — “The Joe Rogan Experience” was the No. 1 most-listened to podcaster in 2024 on Spotify, followed by “Call Her Daddy.” Cooper said she’s constantly compared with Rogan. “I don’t think of Joe when I’m having my coffee every morning, But I’m aware of the comparison in the media. … I have a lot of respect for what he’s doing.”
Cooper, 30, earlier this year inked a deal worth up to $125 million over a little over three years with SiriusXM, after ending her exclusive platform deal with Spotify.
Asked by Sorkin about the declining trust in traditional media, Cooper said, “There’s been a wave of skepticism” among Gen Z about legacy media. “A lot of us feel like we’re getting sold a crock of shit.”
Last year Cooper launched media company Trending and subsidiary Unwell Network with her husband and business partner Matt Kaplan of Ace Entertainment, aiming to “elevate the voices and stories of Gen Z.” Unwell Network’s initial talent signings have included Alix Earle, Madeline Argy, Harry Jowsey and Owen Thiele.
Among her other initiatives, Cooper is looking to expand her media business to encompass TV. “I’m very interested in the television space,” Cooper said, adding that she regularly meets with producers of scripted and unscripted shows about potential projects.
Cooper announced at the DealBook Summit that she is launching her own hydration drink line with Target next year, in a partnership with Nestle, to produce a beverage designed for women.
Asked about speculation that SiriusXM wanted to sign a deal with Cooper as a potential successor to Howard Stern, Cooper responded, “I don’t need to keep being compared to these men. … I’m not trying to be the next Howard Stern.”
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