In just five years, podcasting has gone from an internet hobby to a global storytelling platform. What once felt like a fringe medium is now front and centre – valued at $47.83 billion in 2025 and projected to soar to $123.68 billion in the next four years.
As podcasts continue to dominate our daily routines – whether we’re commuting, cleaning, or pretending to answer emails – listeners have become increasingly selective about the voices they listen to. Despite 55% of the US population 12+ listening to podcasts at least once a month, there are only a rare few creators rising above the noise and flipping the podcasting playbook: creators who don’t just follow trends – they set them.
Enter Alex Cooper.
Sharp, unfiltered, and unapologetically real, Alex hasn’t just found a seat at the table; she’s built the Call Her Daddy empire from scratch and engaged an entire new generation of listeners, redefining the podcasting experience. The cultural force behind one of the most talked-about podcasts in the world.
Trends come and go, but one thing’s crystal clear – Alex Cooper isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
In this blog, we will unpack:
- The Call Her Daddy origin story
- How Alex has expanded her platform into a multi-media empire
- What brands can learn from Alex Cooper
Contents
- The Call Her Daddy podcast
- Call Her Daddy’s audience
- How Alex Cooper built the Call Her Daddy empire
- What brands can learn
The Call Her Daddy podcast
Imagine if your wildest, most brutally honest friend had a mic, zero filter, and a deep-seated passion for divulging everything on relationships, pop culture, mental health, and sex – all whilst sipping a glass of wine.
That’s Call Her Daddy.
The podcast, featuring Alex Cooper and ex-roommate Sofia Franklyn, launched in 2018 as a sex-positive, girl-talk show, but quickly transformed into a cultural phenomenon. With her unapologetic voice and viral confessions, the entire format felt new, chaotic, and incredibly human.
The early days saw racy hookup stories, dating chaos, and a step-by-step on decoding the unwritten rules of modern-day romance. Fast-forward to today, and the show, hosted solo by Alex and backed by Sirius XM, has evolved into something much deeper. From multiple business expansions, brand partnerships, and now, a new two-part Hulu docuseries:
‘Call Her Alex. ’
Call Her Daddy’s Audience
Before diving into Alex Cooper’s self-proclaimed ‘Daddy Gang‘, here are some key stats to note.
As of 2025, Millennials and Gen Z comprise approximately 61.6% of US podcast listeners. Of those, an estimated 8 out of 10 Gen Z’s listen to podcasts to relax, and over 50% listen for guidance. Their go-to genres? Comedy, entertainment, celebrity gossip, and true crime.
When you look at who’s tuning into Call Her Daddy, it’s easy to see how she aligns with her audience. The podcast itself produces content tailored to the Gen Z and Millennial demographic, with approximately 70% of Call Her Daddy’s audience being women and 76% being under the age of 35.
Recognising the interests of her demographic, Cooper’s content mirrors their consumption habits. From star-studded guests, to salacious gossip, the podcast speaks to the interests of her audience: openness, self-discovery, trend setting and a touch of drama. In an age where trends and behaviours are constantly evolving, Alex Cooper knows her audience and how to market to them.
How Alex Cooper built the Call Her Daddy empire
Exclusive podcast deals
In 2018, the Call Her Daddy Podcast published its first episode. One month later, Cooper and Franklyn had secured $70k of guaranteed funding from Barstool Sports. 3 years later? Spotify knocked and Cooper answered (this time, alone) with a 3-year, $60 million deal for her now one-woman show.
The deal marked a momentous moment for the podcast with over 5 million listeners per episode and achieving the second-most-listened-to podcast in the world, narrowly missing Joe Rogan’s top spot. Impressive, right?
Well, this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Let’s take a look at 2025 Call Her Daddy. After the Spotify deal ran its course, Cooper secured a $125 million deal with Sirius XM, catapulting the podcast to new heights and joining the likes of Howard Stern and Andy Cohen on the platform.
With this major milestone, the podcast’s influence attracted a lineup of exclusive sponsors that naturally aligned with her content. Discussions around mental health were supported by BetterHelp, a mental health service which provides valuable resources to her community, while more candid conversations about sexuality garnered attention from brands like Adam & Eve, which brought a more… imaginative… spirit to adult wellness.
Cooper weaves these ads into episodes naturally, keeping listeners engaged and making the commercial breaks feel less like interruptions and more like an organic extension of the Call Her Daddy experience. Clearly, this is important to Alex Cooper, who famously turned down an $8 million offer because, as she put it, “I’m not gonna f*****g sell myself.”
A bold move that proved she’s not here for every check, just the right ones.
Her audience is unwell, in a good way
From Alix Earle’s Hot Mess to Madeleine Argy’s Pretty Lonesome, the new podcast landscape is all about embracing chaos – emotional, social, existential. It’s honest, it’s raw – it’s unwell. And if Call Her Daddy was the original rebel against perfectionism, Alex Cooper is now taking it one step further.
Enter: The Unwell Network.
Launched in September 2023, the Unwell Network is Cooper’s latest venture, a media platform that champions voices living unapologetically in their mess. As a subsidiary of Trending Productions (which Cooper co-owns with husband Matt Kaplan), the network is a space for creators from all corners of the internet, including reality stars like Too Hot to Handle’s Harry Jowsey, to true crime sleuths and culture critics, to reach new audiences through audio-visual productions. It’s curated chaos, just like Cooper herself.
So why build a whole new network?
Because even Call Her Daddy can’t do it all. While the show nails a specific section of Millennials and Gen Z’s interests, today’s listeners are adventurous – jumping from relationship drama to true crime to wellness in a single scroll. Rather than diluting the ‘Call Her Daddy’ brand by trying to cater to every niche, she decided to invest in it instead, by platforming other creators.
Take ‘Go West: True Crime’, hosted by Daphne Woolsoncroft and Heath Merryman, and produced by the network. It’s creepy, compelling, and taps into the dark curiosity many Gen Z listeners crave. With every cross-niche influencer collaboration, the Unwell Network expands Cooper’s media ecosystem without sacrificing the genuineness that made Call Her Daddy a cultural phenomenon in the first place.
Because here’s the thing: Unwell isn’t just a podcast network, it’s a feeling and as Cooper herself puts it:
Unwell… but hydrated
Something Cooper has nailed is building extensions of her brand. She’s taken the unfiltered, chaotic, and wildly relatable energy of her podcast and bottled it – literally.
Unwell Hydration blends retro-esque packaging with modern wellness culture and is packed with functional ingredients to keep you going – whether you’re heading to the gym, walking into a chaotic Monday meeting, or debriefing last night’s questionable decisions with the group chat.
But Alex isn’t just slapping a logo on a bottle and calling it a day. She’s positioned Unwell Hydration as a serious contender in the functional beverage space through one major move: becoming the official hydration partner of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).
With dedicated pop-up stalls, exclusive ticket promotion and co-branded merch, the partnership doesn’t feel forced; it feels full circle. A former college Division 1 soccer player herself, Alex is reconnecting with her roots whilst helping amplify visibility for women in sports. And to drive the narrative home, she’s even created Unwell FC – a campaign that tracks the 2025 NWSL season, highlights key moments, spotlights female athletes, all while keeping hydration, sport, and chaos front of mind.
Monetising matrimony
When brands heard that Alex Cooper’s fiancé popped the question, another sprang to mind: ‘How can we leverage this?’. Her wedding was laced with high-profile sponsorships, turning a personal milestone into a sleek, strategic extension of the Call Her Daddy empire. Front and centre was her partnership with Jimmy Choo, where Cooper debuted custom bridal heels designed exclusively for her big day. From crystal-studded shoes for the ceremony to stilettos for the after-party, the collab perfectly embodied Cooper as a brand: business up front and party down below.
This collaboration was showcased across both Cooper’s and Jimmy Choo’s platforms, positioning her as a modern bridal icon. SKIMS also played a key role behind the scenes, with Cooper featuring their bridal collection in candid wedding content that highlighted the brand’s comfort-meets-confidence vibe. The organic yet impactful content was repurposed by SKIMS for their wedding-season marketing.
But these deals weren’t just about looks – they signalled a major shift for Call Her Daddy, evolving from a sex-positive podcast into a full-blown force in fashion, beauty, and lifestyle. By teaming up with brands that are both aspirational and relatable, she’s expanding her media empire with purpose. The message is clear: when Alex Cooper says ‘I do’, brands do the same.
‘Call Her Alex’
‘Call Her Alex’ is a two-part Hulu Docuseries which draws back the curtains on ‘The Unwell Tour’, her first live podcast tour. Out in June 2025, the series reveals the challenges of taking Call Her Daddy from headphones to sold-out venues. The docuseries captures the creative process, team dynamics, and personal pressures behind scaling a digital brand into a live experience, offering fans an unfiltered glimpse of Cooper balancing performance and business.
Following the recent trend of influencer documentaries like Logan Paul’s ‘Paul American’ and Prime Exclusive, ‘Molly-Mae: Behind It All’, Call Her Alex taps into the demand for genuine storytelling by creators and influencers building empires in real time. The series highlights Cooper’s growth from influencer, podcast host to media entrepreneur, showcasing her leadership as she expands the Call Her Daddy brand into a multi-platform powerhouse.
For audiences, the series deepens their connection to Alex through transparency, whilst driving home the excitement for future tours, content venues, and the brand as a whole. The next phase of Call Her Daddy, curated entirely by Alex.
What brands can learn from Call Her Daddy?
Credibility over Virality
Alex Cooper’s successes prove that in today’s crowded podcast landscape, credibility beats momentary virality every time. While many creators chase a quick spike in engagement, Cooper has built a loyal, engaged audience by consistently delivering honest, unapologetic content that resonates deeply. For brands, committing to a brand identity brings sustained trust and influence, not just fleeting attention. Engaging audiences on a deeper level drives community and ultimately becomes the greatest currency.
Investing in People
Alex’s approach to growing the Call Her Daddy empire goes beyond her own voice – it’s about investing in other creators and voices who meet the needs of the Daddy Gang. The launch of Unwell perfectly illustrates this strategy, curating diverse talent and content that appeals to varied interests without diluting the original brand essence. For brand marketers, selecting multiple niche influencers to align with your brand as opposed to a one-size-fits all influencer approach will allow you to gain meaningful interactions that will convert into loyal communities, customers and audiences.
Lose the cheap tricks
A key to Alex Cooper’s sustained success is her commitment to staying true to her core values and brand identity. Even as her business expanded into new ventures – from SKIMS to BetterHelp – she deliberately chooses partnerships that resonate with her brand and audience. Instead of chasing every opportunity, she selects brands that only strengthen her brand identity. The moral of the story: partnerships should be methodical, purposeful and relevant.
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Where do we fit in?
The Goat Agency has over 10 years experience in supercharging campaigns – with influencers at the core. If you’re interested in expanding on your marketing efforts in 2025 and beyond, get in touch to explore how we can help foster meaningful engagement for your brand.
