The Untold Truth Of Alex Cooper

Alex Cooper skyrocketed into the limelight with the 2018 launch of the "Call Her Daddy" podcast. The show, which spoke openly about sex and dating, was an overnight success, and despite being caught in some headline-making scandals, Cooper managed to turn it into a multimillion-dollar brand. Even as she underwent a stunning transformation and totally overhauled the "Call Her Daddy" format, listeners continued tuning in. Indeed, she had Spotify's second most popular podcast in 2023 and was the No. 1 most streamed show among female listeners.

That same year, she founded the Unwell Network, a company overseeing her podcast and the careers of fellow influencers Alix Earle and Madeline Argy. Explaining the shift, she told The New York Times, "I look at Oprah as an example, of her lifting Dr. Phil and other people." She's also continuously looking for new ways to connect with her fans – aka Daddy Gang – and share more of herself. In 2024, she went on a six-city tour to do just that and told the mag, "I want to produce live events that would make Gen Z want to get off their phones." And yet, despite being an open book, there's still plenty to learn about the podcast superstar. This is the untold truth of Alex Cooper.

Alex Cooper is known for being unapologetically herself. However, she didn't always possess such confidence. As she revealed during a 2022 interview with the "On Purpose with Jay Shetty" podcast, she really struggled with self-esteem as a child. "I had a really hard time in school," she told listeners. "I was severely bullied for my looks." Cooper recalled begging her parents to stay home from school on days when her acne would flare up, as well as being mocked for her skinny figure. "People made fun of me, said that I looked like I had an eating disorder," she recalled. "I hated everything about myself."

It wasn't until her dad, a sports producer, gave her a camera and encouraged her to get creative that Cooper began feeling empowered. She spent hours shooting short movies and music videos in her basement. Although she was alone, it was just the outlet she needed. "Creating content has always been a form of self-expression that has made me feel seen, that made me feel I am worthy and have something to show that I'm good at," she told the New York Times that same year.

What's more, Cooper began playing competitive soccer, which, as she told Jay Shetty, proved to be another source of strength. "I felt so seen and safe in soccer," she mused, noting how, for the first time, her peers didn't focus on looks, instead caring solely about her ability to score goals.

When Alex Cooper first launched her podcast, it was full of raunchy, explicit stories about sex and dating. Even so, her parents were totally behind her, even if her mom (who listened to every episode) had to tell her dad when he should and shouldn't tune in. "They have always been my No. 1 supporters," Cooper told Today in 2022, adding that her parents happily shut down critics, even when they were part of their extended family. As she shared, the Coopers proudly stood up for their daughter, telling skeptics, "We know how we raised her and we know her talent."

Mom Laurie has even appeared on "Call Her Daddy," offering her best dating and life advice as a professional psychologist. Cooper told E! News in 2022 that it's advice she herself has kept dear to her heart, particularly one simple relationship mantra: "Stay true to who you are." "I think that goes through to every other aspect, whether that's job, friendship, life, career," she explained. However, she doesn't just cherish her mom's input – she's also very close with her dad. When she landed the cover of Cosmopolitan in 2023, Cooper wanted her parents to be the first to see it. Both were visibly overjoyed with papa Cooper gushing, "This is unbelievable!"

After graduating high school, Alex Cooper enrolled at Boston University, where she majored in film and television and received her degree from the College of Communication in 2017. While there, she continued wholeheartedly pursuing soccer as a Division I athlete. Not only did Cooper receive a full scholarship based on her talent, but she was also named co-captain of the BU Women's Soccer team. However, her experience in college wasn't picture-perfect, and she abruptly quit playing during her senior year. As she told The New York Times in 2022, it was because "I had a traumatic experience happen" that was directly linked to the sport. While she refused to go into further detail, she did hint at what happened, saying, "I got to keep my full scholarship but didn't play because of a situation with the coach."

Cooper was asked to elaborate on these statements in her 2023 Cosmopolitan cover story, but said she wasn't ready because she wasn't done healing. What she did tell the mag was that it took a toll on her mental health, but she wasn't the only one to experience it. "Recently, I reconnected with a lot of the people that I played soccer with who were around when things were happening and it's been pretty cathartic," Cooper shared, adding that she planned to talk about it on her show eventually. "This one topic just sits in a drawer in my brain, and it's slightly opened now," she concluded.

Alex Cooper's meet-cute with film producer Matt Kaplan could very well be the basis for a rom-com. It was July 2020, and Cooper was meeting with various companies via Zoom to talk about a potential TV show. Her final call of the day was with Kaplan's company, ACE Productions, and she was instantly drawn to him. "I got on Zoom and immediately started thinking, 'Wow, this producer is very handsome — but, stay focused Alex,'" she told Vogue. 

No professional collab came out of the meeting, but she and Kaplan soon started going on dinner dates, which took place in parked cars due to COVID-19 restrictions. Even so, Cooper revealed, "There was no doubt in my mind after the first dinner that he would be the man I was going to spend the rest of my life with." Choosing to keep him somewhat secret, she began referring to him as "Mr. Sexy Zoom Man" on her podcast, and it wasn't until they got engaged in April 2023 that his identity was finally revealed.

Speaking with Vogue, Cooper confessed she never thought she'd get married despite an impressive dating history. As she revealed, her parents (who've been married for over 40 years) simply set the bar too high. However, Kaplan's love and support changed her mind. "It's very attractive to have a man not be intimidated by a woman's extreme success," she told W Magazine ahead of their 2024 wedding in Riviera Maya, Mexico.

Not only has Matt Kaplan always supported Alex Cooper in her career, but he was also right by her side when she needed him most. During a 2024 episode of "Call Her Daddy," the podcaster shared how she knew Kaplan was the one because of how he reacted when she admitted to having HPV. Cooper had tested positive for the virus four years earlier nfollowing a sexual encounter she wasn't particularly proud of. Ultimately, a doctor recommended she go in for further testing, followed by a LEEP procedure, which would remove abnormal tissue from her cervix to ensure it didn't develop into cervical cancer. 

At that point, Cooper knew she had to tell her partner the truth, but this was early in their relationship, and she was scared of his reaction. She also feared how the diagnosis would impact her fertility. "It just sucked because I could really envision a future with a man," she told listeners. "Matt was the first person I had dated that had me realize I even wanted to have kids."

However, Kaplan wasn't in the least bit fazed by the news. "He couldn't have been more loving and understanding and supportive," she gushed. Indeed, he accompanied her to the doctor's appointment and was there to comfort her as soon as she got out. "It was awful," Cooper said of the procedure. "I just sobbed." Luckily, it was a success.

The American Academy of Dermatology recommends washing your face in the morning and evening (and after heavy sweating). Alex Cooper, however, has a different approach to keeping her complexion flawless. Sharing her skincare routine with Vogue in 2024, the podcaster made quite the surprising revelation as she declared, "I don't wash my face." Jokingly asking viewers not to judge her, Cooper explained that she was dealing with very oily skin that would break out a lot, and was ready to try anything and everything. "I was struggling a lot with my skincare and when I stopped washing my face, all of a sudden, I stopped having pimples," she shared.

Cooper was 27 when she started taking skincare seriously and was overwhelmed by all of the options and information. She began trying different products to find those that worked best for her. Ultimately, she honed in on COSRX's Advanced Snail Mucin – "This has been the one product that's kept my skin more hydrated" – facial sunscreen from EltaMD, and Toleriane Dermallergo face cream from La Roche-Posay. She also regularly reaches for Biba De Sousa's Plant Stem Cell Peptide Serum with Peptides after spotting it in a video posted by Hailey Bieber and tracking it down online.

When "Call Her Daddy," hosted by Alex Cooper alongside Sofia Franklyn, first launched on Barstool Sports in 2018, it was very different from what it is today. The original version billed itself as "uncensored, real, female locker room talk." Its trajectory was impressive, but in April 2020, the show fell apart, posting its final episode as the co-hosts feuded with Barstool Sports and, eventually, with each other. 

According to numerous reports, Cooper and Franklyn wanted to break their three-year contract for a more lucrative deal. Barstool Sports founder David Portnoy vowed to sue while offering the co-hosts new perks, including a $500,000 annual salary, per The Cut. While Cooper allegedly accepted, Franklyn was not on board, and the duo appeared to turn on one another.

Taking to Instagram Stories that May (via New York Post), Franklyn accused Cooper of wanting full control of the show and said she had been betrayed by her former bestie. "I am willing to do 'Call Her Daddy,' I really am," she told fans. "I just can't do it under the circumstances that she wants." Just days later, Cooper announced that she would be returning to host "Call Her Daddy" on her own and would remain at Barstool Sports until the end of her contract.

Following all the behind-the-scenes drama, Alex Cooper was able to morph "Call Her Daddy" into a new iteration that performed even better than the original. By 2020, it was the fifth most streamed podcast on Spotify, and the service shelled out millions to buy the exclusive rights from Barstool Sports. They succeeded in 2021, signing a three-year agreement with Cooper, valued between $20 and $60 million. Explaining the huge investment, Dawn Ostroff, Spotify's chief content and advertising business officer, told WSJ, "The level of enthusiasm and buzz from listeners generated after each episode is emblematic of the magic of the podcast." Indeed, Cooper's ratings continued to soar, and "Call Her Daddy" soon became the platform's second most popular podcast behind the "Joe Rogan Experience."

In 2023, Rolling Stone even dubbed Cooper "a Gen Z Barbara Walters of sorts" as she launched The Unwell Network, a podcast production company focused on Gen Z talent. Jump to 2024, and she again signed a multimillion-dollar deal, this time to move from Spotify to SiriusXM. As THR confirmed, the non-exclusive agreement would begin in 2025 and last just over three years, earning Cooper a whopping $125 million. Despite how impressive that is Cooper is nowhere near done. "I'm a competitive psycho," she boasted, per WSJ. "I want to be the biggest podcast in the world."