There are three kinds of people: those who have no idea what Call Her Daddy is, and clicked on this article because of the obvious word usage, those who only know it from controversial TikToks, and the devout viewers and listeners (aka ‘The Daddy Gang’). Whichever category you belong to, welcome. Call Her Daddy is a women-focused podcast that began in 2018 and discusses all aspects of relationships, pop-culture moments, and sexuality. It’s become the second biggest podcast on Spotify with a 90% female audience. She’s had big names like Miley Cyrus, Zayn Malik, and Gwyneth Paltrow. This article focuses on the recent podcast where host Alex Cooper interviewed Vice President Kamala Harris in DC ahead of the upcoming election. Also, if you’re wondering, VP Harris seems to be a part of the Daddy Gang.
It’s an interesting choice on Alex Cooper’s part to pivot to politics, an issue she’s never touched on in her podcast before. To interview VP Harris as her first ever politician interview is a huge step in her career and apparently, a controversial topic. If you’re interested in hearing or watching the podcast, here it is:
The episode was released on October 6th, and since then has received mixed reviews from the audience and a decline in Alex Cooper’s following. She released an intro as a disclaimer explaining her choice and that the episode doesn’t aim to change anybody’s political affiliation. I think that it says a lot for a podcast host who has always focused on more ‘girl-talk’ and less serious topics to have pivoted to the topics in this specific election. It’s not about politics anymore, it’s about what our everyday life will look like. If we can decide what happens to our own bodies. From a personal standpoint, I don’t believe you need to align yourself with a party or politician’s agenda. I think you should have your own views and after research, vote for the better choice for a life you want or maybe against the reality you don’t.
A lot of viewers, along with the general public, and members of the Republican Party, are bashing this long-form interview and Cooper’s involvement from this standpoint. They point out that this is not her area of expertise and focus on the wording of her podcast’s title as if it trivializes the contents of it. If anything, I believe Alex Cooper is the first person to be aware that this is not her usual content. She shares in her introduction that she was given the free rein to talk about anything, and after considering issues like fracking and the economy, she returned to talking about women. It’s sad that the discussion about women in this election cannot focus on potentially having our first woman President, but rather has to begin with “Are we safe here?” or “Can we make decisions about our own body in a ‘developed’ country”? The discussion starts with sexual assault, a topic Cooper’s followers have reached out for help on before, and one that Harris has focused on in her career as a prosecutor.
In an article on the National News Desk, Eric Trump ‘slammed’ the interview stating that the listeners of the podcast “aren’t serious people” and the article itself calls the podcast’s discussions “raunchy.” But maybe the real question to ask is why we feel the need to stigmatize people sharing their experiences. Yes, Cooper’s podcast is centered around the female experience, but does that mean we’re less serious about creating a community where we share our concerns and opinions? Maybe this is the thinking that made the government decide they can control our bodies. Maybe it’s because we weren’t serious enough to decide for ourselves.
If listeners feel off-put by receiving political content from this podcast, they should consider not listening to the episode. Cooper shares that she is aware of the divide in her viewers and listeners. It’s commentary nowadays that even a social, more casual work of media would advertise a political cause. But it’s not necessarily the party or candidate she’s endorsing since she mentions she also reached out to Former President Donald Trump for an interview and would be happy to have him for an interview.
An article on News Weekly shares the thoughts of Craig Agranoff, a professor of political marketing at Florida Atlantic University. Agranoff believes that Kamala Harris “has faced a number of challenges, largely because she’s navigating two difficult objectives: solidifying her base while trying to reach undecided or more moderate voters.” There have been other notable ways that Harris has attempted to reach and solidify her base, which is increasingly consisting of the youth. My personal favorite is through her campaign Tik-Tok account, Kamala HQ.
The account hilariously leans into every upcoming Tik-Tok trend like the video of “Did we eat today?” and follows it up with videos of them campaigning. Others, like the one above, call out her opponent Donald Trump by bringing his words into question (and using terms like ‘delulu’ and ‘erm’ to appeal to the audience). Viewers collectively agree that whoever the Gen-Z intern running the account is deserves a raise
I will say, on the flip side of things, Cooper has allegedly turned down the opportunity to President Joe Biden and VP Harris before in February. She’s been quoted saying, “In February, she told the New York Times that she turned down the opportunity to interview both Vice-President Harris and Joe Biden. “Go on CNN, go on Fox,” she said. “You want to talk about your sex life, Joe?” as a reference to the usual topics of her podcast. Then, Roe V. Wade was overturned in June of 2022 and I would say, that changed things.
A lot of key questions and thoughts came out of this like Trump referring to himself as a “protector” for women, to which Harris responded by highlighting the individuals he appointed and their role in Roe V. Wade. Another important piece of information, regarding Cooper visiting reproductive health clinics in North Carolina, came to light. They discussed how women cannot access abortions or in restricted states where help is only given to women in emergency situations, their lives are in danger.
A woman whom Harris referenced, Amber Therman, had plans for her life and her son and realized that she was pregnant but did not want the pregnancy. She lived in Georgia where abortion is banned after 6 weeks into pregnancy so she traveled to another state that was overwhelmed by the influx of women coming to receive help. She couldn’t get there in time so in place of a surgical procedure, Amber received medication and had complications from it. When she went for help to the hospital back at home, they waited 20 hours and let her bleed to get her into an ’emergent’ state before they helped her.
There are a lot of opinions and thoughts about Alex Cooper (and all the controversies she’s tied to), VP Kamala Harris and the upcoming election, or the content of the interview. Those discussed in this article, save for the factual details, are my personal opinions and people are always welcome to disagree and have their own. It’s fascinating how digital media is influencing not just daily life but politics and sensitive issues. Alex Cooper’s interview with Kamala Harris was a career-defining and pivotal moment- what are your thoughts?
Read more about Her Campus’ Our Bodies, Our Votes here and take a look at the VP’s letter addressed to HC with more information.