Just before a red light turns on, a recording studio exudes a certain type of assurance. The air gets a little tighter. A face is inches away from a microphone. Once informal, words become valuable. That moment has grown into an empire for Alex Cooper.
The 31-year-old host and founder of Call Her Daddy has turned a once-raunchy comedy podcast into one of the most lucrative digital media businesses. What started as a brazen show about relationships and sex on Barstool Sports in 2018 developed into a $60 million exclusive Spotify agreement in 2021. In 2024, a three-year, $125 million deal with SiriusXM followed. It’s difficult to ignore those figures. However, they don’t provide the complete picture.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Alex Cooper |
| Born | August 21, 1994 – Newtown, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Alma Mater | Boston University |
| Podcast | Call Her Daddy |
| Major Deals | $60M Spotify (2021), $125M SiriusXM (2024) |
| Media Company | Trending (co-founded with Matt Kaplan) |
| Estimated Net Worth (2026) | ~$60 million |
| Reference |
There is a purposeful polish to the pandemonium in the Manhattan studios where her program currently records. Tastefully arranged expensive headphones on a glass table, soft lighting, and simple décor. It feels more like a broadcast set than a podcast, which is actually what it is.
Cooper has combined personal confession with celebrity culture by interviewing everyone from Miley Cyrus to Kamala Harris. She was previously referred to as “the new generation’s Barbara Walters” by Rolling Stone, a bold analogy that, strangely, doesn’t seem wholly out of place.
Her tone has a purposeful quality to it. By alternating between being humorous and being inquisitive, she encourages visitors to divulge vulnerabilities that are frequently overlooked in conventional interviews. It seems clear from watching her in conversation that she recognizes the value of being honest.
Perhaps timing is just as important to her success as skill. Audiences’ desire for lengthier, less edited interactions coincided with the maturation of podcasting. Cooper complied with the request. Call Her Daddy lets anguish linger, whereas network interviews condense emotion into seven-minute pieces. It appears that investors think intimacy scales.
When Spotify hired her in 2021, it did just that, becoming her the highest-paid female podcaster on the platform at the time and second only to Joe Rogan overall. As the competition in streaming grew more fierce by 2024, SiriusXM took action. However, there is a more nuanced trajectory hidden behind the headline data.
Cooper’s public and nasty breakup with her previous co-host was evident in both programs and social media posts. The show might have ended with that rupture. Rather, she leaned toward sole proprietorship, strengthening her grip on the company and changing the story. That teaches us something about leverage.
She made the TIME100 Next list in 2023 and was hailed as a “force to be reckoned with.” She was listed in the Titans category of Time’s first “TIME100 Creators” list by 2025. She was treated more like a media executive than a viral celebrity by the mainstream media, which had previously been dubious of influencer culture. She has also embraced that identity.
In addition to the show, Cooper is a co-founder of Trending, a production business that specializes in live, unscripted, and scripted content for Gen Z consumers. In collaboration with Nestlé, she also introduced Unwell Hydration, a line of beverages designed to promote women’s wellness. Her podcast persona is reflected in the branding: direct, honest, and irreverent.
It’s still unclear if all of her brand extensions will last. Consumer goods are infamously erratic. But the ambition implies something larger: Cooper isn’t content to be a host. She is constructing infrastructure.
There has been conflict in her career. When she sang “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” at Wrigley Field in 2025, several members of the audience jeered her, serving as a warning that online celebrity doesn’t always fit in with traditional settings. The incident generated discussion online. It was deemed tone-deaf by critics. The backlash was seen by supporters as exaggerated.
Cooper’s proficiency with platform economics may set her apart from previous podcast stars. She is knowledgeable about brand relationships, audience data, and distribution agreements. She moves as though she views herself as an enterprise rather than a skill.
With large contracts and fewer breakaway independents, podcasting itself seems to be entering an era of consolidation. That change is reflected in Cooper’s trajectory. Institutional scale is replacing the tenacious do-it-yourself era.
The fundamentals are still shockingly straightforward: a microphone, a dialogue, and the courage to ask questions that others would be reluctant to.
Call Her Daddy still thrives on lengthy conversations in a media landscape that is becoming more and more influenced by algorithms and short-form clips. This tenacity shows that, despite its pop culture packaging, people still seek depth.
Alex Cooper did more than simply capitalize on the podcast boom. She monetized it, made it a profession, and then went beyond it. That may be the most revealing detail of all.
