Sofia Franklyn is ready to tell her side of the "Call Her Daddy" story in her new book, "Daddy Issues," which hit shelves Nov. 10.
She and Alex Cooper were once co-hosts of the podcast with a company called Podible. As the show quickly grew in popularity, Dave Portnoy of Barstool Sports reached out to Cooper via DM and asked to sign them.
The two met in New York City and, as roommates, brought the show to life in 2018. In the book, she writes that they cut a deal with Portnoy (that Franklyn said she reluctantly signed) in which they were paid $75,000 in the first year, $80,000 in the second year, and $100,000, plus $2,500 bonuses for every 10% increase in weekly downloads.
However, they were not given ownership of the show; the contract, she writes,
stated that the company would acquire the "Call Her Daddy" intellectual property and the social media accounts, which Franklyn was not a fan of.
According to Franklyn, she wanted to shop the show around to other companies, but Cooper wanted to get the deal done quickly and agreed to Barstool's terms, leaving Franklyn feeling she had little choice but to fall in line and sign the contract.
USA TODAY has reached out to Cooper and Portnoy for comment.
Here are the biggest allegations made in her new book.
Alex Cooper allegedly tried to get Sofia Franklyn fired after holiday party
In her book, Franklyn writes that a Christmas party at Barstool became the catalyst for a major rift in their friendship. Franklyn started drinking heavily during the party because she felt out of place, and the next thing she remembers is waking up unsure of how she got there or what happened at the party. Cooper returned to their apartment, upset with Franklyn because she had missed their first interview with a guest on the podcast.
Franklyn writes that she was so overcome with emotion that she started crying and apologizing profusely before Cooper accused her of being "really rude" to her and Franklyn recalls her saying, "Every single person wanted to know what was wrong with you and was asking me why you were being so mean."
According to Franklyn, Cooper told her that Portnoy was considering firing her. But when Franklyn tried to apologize to Portnoy and the Barstool team, she began to suspect Cooper had blown the issue out of proportion.
Franklyn claims she later discovered Cooper had gone directly to Portnoy in an attempt to get her fired. She also alleges that after learning Franklyn's job was safe, Cooper wouldn't continue on the show without a raise, which she received. Franklyn said she learned about the raise through their lawyer.
"I feel pure hatred. I might combust," she wrote. "Who is this person? Alex, who is she? Am I stupid? Gullible? Dumb? Naive? Living something that wasn’t true? That’s not true? Was she ever my friend?”
She continued, "I think about every contract conversation we’ve ever had. Jokes. How we share every single … thing with each other — space, time, emotions, work, pain, highs, shame, heartbreak, family. Alex wouldn’t do this. Lie about something so stupid. To me.”
After seeing the success of the show, Franklyn and Cooper asked for $1 million a year contracts
Their attempt to renegotiate the terms of the agreement in 2020 led to Franklyn's exit. By then, the show quickly became one of the most successful podcasts. According to Franklyn, it was projected to bring in $11 million per year, excluding merch sales. In addition to asking for a "50/50 split of all revenue derived from Barstool’s exploitation of the property (i.e., advertisers, sponsors, merch, etc.),” the two women also asked for a "minimum guarantee" of "$1 million each, per year."
Portnoy came back to them with lowball offers; she writes that he offered each woman $500,000 salaries, ownership of the intellectual property after a year (which she saw as "a million-strings-attached remix of the same scenario we've been protesting, where Barstool continues to collect on our most lucrative future ventures") and a larger cut of the merch revenue.
The two were ready to leave Barstool if contract negotiations didn't go their way. While they waited to hear whether the company would accept their terms, they went on a weekend retreat. "We know that staying together is more important than losing the IP, or whatever they may threaten," Franklyn wrote in the book. "What is the name without us?” The two even had a name for a new podcast if it came to that — "The Fathers."
But according to Franklyn, she found out that Cooper cut a deal with Portnoy on the side and Franklyn was officially out.
Portnoy offered Franklyn her own show after Cooper made a separate deal
With Franklyn officially out of the podcast, she wrote in the book that Portnoy called her and offered her a show of her own with the opportunity to promote it as much as they did with "Call Her Daddy."
According to Franklyn, Portnoy also told her that Cooper had claimed Franklyn was "never going to sign" the new contract and was "trying to blow up the deal," allegations Franklyn vehemently denied.
Ultimately, she felt it wasn't the right decision to do a show with Barstool and ultimately decided to move on.
Franklyn finally tells her side of explosive claims in Cooper's "The Truth About Call Her Daddy" YouTube video
Franklyn writes in the book that after she was officially cut out of the business, Cooper went on the attack to redirect the narrative.
In May 2020, the "Call Her Daddy" host posted a 52-minute video titled "The Truth About Call Her Daddy," where she "tells [her] side of the story," calling Franklyn a "liability," saying that her co-host left, which created a narrative online that Franklyn was greedy and Cooper was the innocent party in this situation.
"When did I leave?! I've been here the whole time," Franklyn writes. "I told you VERBATIM I would even take the deal to stay. I've done everything to stay together and keep the show alive. Why don't YOU want to stay together? And why won't you talk to me? How long have you wanted it to be like this?"
"I try to make a list of all the lies she's said, but she speaks with so much conviction that I don't know if she is lying anymore," Franklyn goes on to write. "People will believe this. I almost do."
Franklyn writes that the backlash she received following the video took a toll on her mental health and contributed to a period of heavy partying and alcohol abuse. She says she also cheated on her boyfriend at the time, contributing to their eventual breakup.
Now, with the release of her book, Franklyn is in the midst of a press blitz and seems to have made peace with her place in the world without Cooper. In a recent episode of "Aspire With Emma Grede," she hinted at possibly turning the "Call Her Daddy" fallout into a movie.
"I will say I, looking back, think staying silent was the smartest thing that I did," Franklyn said. "Because six years later, I'm putting out this book; this is my IP. I can't talk about it, but, you know, maybe there's a memoir adaptation. This book is meant to be a movie. It has all of the elements, and I own that. So do I regret not, being as vocal or suing? No, I don't."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Everything Sofia Franklyn reveals about Alex Cooper, 'Call Her Daddy' in tell-all
