Alex Cooper has addressed controversial allegations made by her former Barstool Sports boss Dave Portnoy, who claimed in his memoir that Cooper and her former Call Her Daddy co-host Sofia Franklyn considered making false sexual harassment accusations as part of their efforts to leave the company.
The claims stem from the turbulent period surrounding the podcast’s departure from Barstool, where Cooper and Franklyn had become major figures before their partnership with the company collapsed in 2020 and 2021.
Cooper and Portnoy Offer Conflicting Versions
Portnoy, 49, detailed his account in Cancel Me If You Can, describing tense negotiations over the women’s contracts and alleging that the pair stopped producing episodes as their dispute with Barstool intensified.
According to Portnoy, the situation escalated during private discussions about a new deal.
He claimed Cooper later met with him without Franklyn and told him she wanted to accept his proposed offer, but believed Franklyn would not agree.
Portnoy alleged that Cooper then told him the pair had considered claiming they had been sexually harassed at Barstool.
He characterized the accusation as something that, if made publicly, could have seriously damaged the company regardless of whether the allegations were true.
Cooper Refuses to Enter a Public Feud
Cooper was questioned about Portnoy’s account during an appearance on CNBC’s Squawk Box, where she acknowledged their complicated history but declined to engage in a detailed public dispute.
“Dave’s got his version and I’ve got my version, and we’re all good,” Cooper said.
The 31-year-old podcaster also expressed gratitude toward Portnoy for giving her an opportunity early in her career, despite disputing the account presented in his book.
She said she had not read the memoir but had seen social media posts about the allegations after being tagged in discussions surrounding the controversy.
“That’s Not How I Remember That”
While Cooper did not provide a detailed alternative account, she made clear that Portnoy’s version does not match her recollection.
“That’s not how I remember that at all,” she said, before emphasizing that she was not interested in prolonging the dispute.
Cooper added that she was currently focused on a different stage of her life, saying: “I’m in my mother era. I have no drama right now.”
Her comments come as she prepares to welcome her first child with husband Matt Kaplan.
A Bitter Chapter in Call Her Daddy’s History
The dispute dates back to the period when Call Her Daddy was one of Barstool’s most successful podcasts.
Contract negotiations eventually fractured the relationship between the company and the two hosts, with Cooper and Franklyn ultimately going their separate ways.
Cooper later continued the podcast independently and transformed it into a major media property, while Franklyn pursued her own projects.
Portnoy’s memoir has nevertheless reopened questions about what happened behind the scenes during one of the most dramatic breakups in podcasting.
Sexual Harassment Claims Add Another Layer
The controversy carries additional sensitivity because Cooper previously spoke publicly about sexual harassment in her 2025 Hulu documentary.
She alleged that she had been sexually harassed by her Boston University soccer coach while she was a student.
Boston University responded by reiterating its zero-tolerance policy toward sexual harassment and highlighted the support systems and reporting procedures available to students.
That history makes the allegations described in Portnoy’s memoir particularly contentious, although Cooper has now disputed his characterization of the events without publicly detailing her own version.
Two Accounts, No Public Showdown
For now, Cooper appears unwilling to turn the disagreement into another prolonged public battle.
Her response acknowledges that she and Portnoy remember the contentious negotiations differently while stopping short of escalating the dispute.
The competing accounts leave one of the most dramatic chapters in Call Her Daddy history open to interpretation, with Portnoy standing by the version presented in his memoir and Cooper insisting that it does not reflect how she remembers what happened.
