Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast has become an internet phenomenon. Over the last few years, Cooper has garnered millions of listeners who tune in weekly, watching the host interview celebrities, influencers, and now, politicians. During the Oct. 6 episode, Cooper sat down with Vice President Kamala Harris to discuss the upcoming presidential election, Harris’s political values, and former President Donald Trump’s policies.
This episode, in particular, became a hot topic online immediately after it’s release. Many Daddy Gang listeners took to the comments to share their opinions, which were divided. Some believe Cooper utilized her podcast to make fans more aware of important political issues, and with the upcoming election on Nov. 5, some thought this was a great use of her platform. Some even thought the interview with Harris was extremely fitting for Cooper’s brand, seeing as Cooper’s always been an advocate for women.
Others, however, believe politics have no place on the Call Her Daddy podcast, and criticized the show, as well as Cooper, for getting political. “I’m so disappointed, this feels like propaganda and trying to make her look ‘gen z,’” someone commented under the podcast’s Instagram post. “One of my most favorite podcasts and now I’ll never listen again. Unbelievable,” another person wrote.
Fans were also divided on Harris’s decision to appear on the podcast in the first place. Some said the decision was unprofessional and that politics are “becoming a joke” now. Others felt as though Harris had more important matters to tend to, such as the Hurricane Helene devastation. “Been a CHD fan since the beginning, but this is truly so out of touch and beyond disrespectful to the millions of Hurricane Helene victims whose lives were torn to pieces, are living without food and water, and can’t locate loved ones,” someone commented. “How’s relief for Helene going?” another person asked.
Others thought Harris should have appeared on “more serious” outlets as opposed to “fluffy” ones like CHD. On the other hand, some Daddy Gang listeners said Harris’s appearance was a great way to reach a wider audience, and inform them of the current political state of the world and the upcoming election.
On Oct. 6, Cooper responded to the scrutiny the podcast episode faced on TikTok. “Overall, my focus is women and the day-to-day issues that we face,” Cooper said. She went on to share that she had been “going back and forth with this decision for awhile,” in regard to getting political on her podcast. “I couldn’t see a world in which one of the main conversations in this election is women, and I’m not a part of it,” Cooper continued. She said she had no intention of changing fans’ political stances, but wanted to encourage open conversation.
Cooper then shared that she also invited former President Donald Trump, who appeared on This Past Weekend with Theo Von podcast and Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast respectively, onto her podcast, making it clear that she wanted to have an open conversation about women’s rights with both political figures. “My goal today is not to change your political affiliation,” she said. “What I’m hoping is that you’re able to listen to a conversation that isn’t too different than the ones we’re having here every week.”