Alex Cooper used this week’s episode of“Call Her Daddy”to spotlight the alleged 2024 Cornell gang rape case, sitting down with Cornell philosophy professor Kate Manne to unpack the allegations and the institutional response. An anonymous former student known as Jane Doe filed a complaint on September 16, claiming seven Chi Phi fraternity brothers drugged and assaulted her at an October 2024 party. The episode dropped Sunday, October 11, and it’s already dominating timelines.
The case took a major turn when New York Governor Kathy Hochul appointed Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor to reinvestigate. Legal expert Tre Lovell noted that criminal charges are likely, though a conviction is a separate question entirely. Meanwhile, Cooper’s raw response to the case is what’s really resonating, particularly her statement:“For the record, I believe Jane Doe,”and her point that more than one in five women have experienced rape, meaning nearly everyone knows a Jane Doe.
Nearly a decade after #MeToo, Cooper’s frustration that we’re still having the same conversations about campus assault and institutional failure is a feeling a lot of people share. Celebrity platforms like“Call Her Daddy”are clearly shaping how these stories reach the public, and this one just went national. What do you think, does a podcast episode actually move the needle on cases like this?
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.