Alex Cooper Pushes Back on Dave Portnoy’s Contract Claims

Alex Cooper has declined to publicly dispute specific allegations made by Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy about her time at the company, while saying the two have different accounts of their history.

In a recent CNBC interview, Cooper was asked about Portnoy’s claim in his book, Cancel Me If You Can, that she and former Call Her Daddy co-host Sofia Franklyn had considered claiming sexual harassment to escape their Barstool contract.

Cooper said she had not read the book and declined to give her version of the events. “Dave’s got his version, I’ve got my version, and we’re all good,” she said. When asked to elaborate, Cooper said she was focused on her family and business rather than “drama.”

Cooper also acknowledged Portnoy’s role in launching her career. “He gave me my start in this industry, and I will never not be grateful to him,” she said, describing their relationship as “very great and complicated.”

Cooper and Franklyn co-founded Call Her Daddy in 2018 and signed a three-year contract with Barstool. Their relationship with the company later became strained during contract negotiations. In Cooper’s 2025 Hulu docuseries, Call Her Alex, she said Portnoy offered the pair ownership of the podcast’s intellectual property if they remained with Barstool for another year.

Franklyn ultimately left the podcast in 2020 after contract negotiations failed. Cooper remained with Barstool before moving Call Her Daddy to Spotify under a reported $60 million deal in 2021. In 2024, she signed another deal reportedly worth more than $100 million.

Cooper is now focused on Unwell Media, which was recently valued at $500 million.