Dave Portnoy Drops Bombshell: The Real Call Her Daddy Breakup Story

You thought you knew what went down with Call Her Daddy. You were wrong.

Dave Portnoy appeared on TMZ Live Tuesday to set the record straight on one of the biggest podcast implosions in media history—and what he’s revealing now makes the original headlines look incomplete. When Alex Cooper and Sofia Franklyn stopped recording while still under contract with Barstool, Portnoy says he did what most owners would never do: he sweetened the deal significantly. More money. A shorter contract. Eventually, ownership of the podcast itself. It was, by his account, one of the best offers he’s ever made.

But here’s where the story takes a sharp turn. According to Portnoy, Alex Cooper came back to the table with Barstool, and things seemed to be heading toward resolution. Then came the real shock: Portnoy claims Cooper later disclosed that there had been discussions about deploying toxic workplace allegations as a way to escape the contract entirely. He says this revelation stopped him cold—the kind of moment that changes everything in a negotiation.

The Call Her Daddy breakup became the defining media blowup of 2020, with consequences that shaped the podcast landscape for years. Cooper ultimately stayed at Barstool before landing a massive $125 million, three-year deal with SiriusXM. Sofia Franklyn launched Sofia with an F, her solo podcast venture. Both moved on to tremendous success. But Portnoy’s new details, shared as he promotes his book Cancel Me If You Can, suggest the behind-the-scenes tension was more calculated and more dangerous than previously understood.

What makes this moment significant isn’t just the alleged plan itself—it’s the question of whose narrative gets believed. Cooper and Franklyn had their version of events. Barstool had its version. Now Portnoy is staking a claim to a third version, armed with firsthand knowledge and the platform to broadcast it. In an era where workplace allegations carry real weight, the suggestion that such claims might have been considered as a contractual escape hatch raises uncomfortable questions about credibility and intent that go way beyond podcast drama.

The full interview on TMZ Live promises more details, but Portnoy has already made his point: if you think you’ve heard this story completely, you haven’t been listening closely enough.