I Alex Cooper again Sophia Franklin The drama “Call Her Daddy” will go down in history – so much so that the founder of Barstool Sports Dave Portnoy put it in his diary for June 2026, Cancel If You Can.
“The revelation of Alex and Sofia’s strained friendship was probably more than the public could handle,” Portnoy wrote in his book. “Two girls the world loved to hate now hated each other.”
Portnoy’s version of the story provided additional details that the public may not have previously known. For example, you first saw Cooper in the MLB pitcher Noah Syndergaard‘s Instagram in 2017, when they were dating.
After hearing about her decision to launch a podcast, Portnoy contacted Cooper, and the “Call Her Daddy” era began. The podcast launched at Barstool Sports in 2018 where it remained until 2021, when Cooper and company parted ways.
However, the season finale of “Call Her Daddy” and Barstool had a lot of drama, which shook the internet in 2020 as Cooper and Franklin split their friendship.
Keep scrolling for the full breakdown:
Alex Cooper, Sofia Franklin, and Dave Portnoy.
Getty Images (3)The Contract Drama Begins
According to Portnoy, the contract drama began in 2019 after Cooper and Franklin appeared on Logan Paul’s podcast. They began “showing their growing dissatisfaction” with being tied to Barstool, he said, and by the end of that year, lawyers were involved in contract negotiations.
However, in 2020, things got even better when the contract drama became public. In May of that year, Cooper told “Call Her Daddy” listeners that he and Frankyn had signed a three-year deal with Barstool, making $75,000 the first year, $85,000 the second year and $100,000 the third. Both received promotions in their first year because of how well the podcast was doing. Cooper, who handled the production side of the podcast, got an extra bump.
After that, Franklin’s boyfriend at the time started shopping the show to other networks. Portnoy got wind of this.
Roof Assembly
This led to the infamous “rooftop meeting” in 2020 where Portnoy offered Cooper and Franklin $500,000 and “3.5 percent each of all the merchandise they sold,” according to Portnoy’s letter. “At the end of their term, they will own all the things that are sold,” he explained. It also “terminates their six-month contract to do a podcast with us for one year only,” he wrote, noting that after the end of the year, Barstool “will relinquish full ownership of the intellectual property.”
Cooper Accepts the Deal
Cooper had his meeting with Portnoy and finally accepted the deal.
“Alex left our meeting saying he wanted to accept the deal. He also said Sofia hated my guts, which surprised me,” he wrote. “I always believed that Alex was the one who didn’t love me, but I thought I had a strong relationship with Sofia.”
Portnoy also admitted that he leaked the story of this game to The New York Postleading to the end of Cooper and Franklin’s friendship.
“It worked very well: Alex and Sofia completely cut off communication. They believed the other had leaked the story,” Portnoy wrote. “The friendship, and the podcast as we know it, will never be the same again. They hated each other.”
Getty Images (3) Barstool Sports is (almost) always making headlines for something – and they’re undoubtedly getting paid well to do just that. Grace O’Malley announced her departure from the company in December 2024 after a friendship split with Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia (more on that, here) and she’s spilled the beans on that. […]
Cooper’s Papers
In June 2025, Cooper reflected on his friendship with Franklin in the play Call Alex documents. He mentioned that their relationship started to fall apart long before the contract game.
“It’s been really hard to enjoy this show,” Cooper said at the time. “It was a culture where you think you see something online, and people genuinely believed we were like sisters, but our relationship was very bad.”
Franklin’s book
Franklin announced him Father’s Problems memoir in February 2026. The book is set to tell a story of “girlhood, friendship, sex, engagement and healing.”
“My story has been told only to me. And if you asked me to write this book five years ago, you would have gotten a different story – fear, revenge, insecurity, being hurt with something to prove,” Franklin said in a statement at the time. “I couldn’t live the truth until I told it in my own words, myself, and in the most honest way I know how.”
Where Cooper and Portnoy Stand Now
Cooper and Portnoy still have a close business relationship. For June 2026 interview no Us WeeklyPortnoy even shared the advice he gave Cooper while doing the public drama.
She also explained how their relationship evolved — and where she stands with Franklin — in her memoir.
“Through it all, Alex Cooper has never forgotten the company that helped launch him. He often credits me and Barstool, and I’m so happy for all the success he’s had,” he wrote. “I also hope you’ll help me improve this book. I guess we’ll see what you think about this chapter. I’m not sure what Sofia is doing.”
