“As you guys know, I do not usually discuss politics or have politicians on this show, because I want Call Her Daddy to be a place that everyone feels comfortable tuning in every single week,” Alex Cooper, host of the enormously successful Call Her Daddy podcast shared during the introduction of her latest episode.
“I talk about topics like mental health, relationships, sex, sexuality, and trauma. Overall, my focus is women and the day-to-day issues that we face,” she continued, with a mix of confidence and trepidation. “I had been going back and forth with this decision for a while to get involved or to not get involved, but at the end of the day, I couldn’t see a world in which one of the main conversations in this election is women and I’m not a part of it.”
Yesterday, Alex’s interview with Vice President/Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris went live.
While the host is renowned for getting some of the biggest names in pop culture to spill the tea on her show (like the time she scored Ariana Madix’s first tell-all interview post-Scandoval, or how she got Hailey Bieber to finally open up about Selena Gomez), a guest of this magnitude felt unparalleled. And it felt important.
Since launching in 2018, Call Her Daddy has cemented its place as one of the most successful podcasts of the 2020s. This year, Alex signed a $100m multi-year distribution deal with SiriusXM. As of 2023, Call Her Daddy is the second highest-ranked podcast on Spotify, and “the most-listened-to podcast among women.”
The woman has a lot of influence, so to host a presidential candidate a month out from the election is a bold move (by both parties). So, how did it go, and how was it received?
Firstly, let’s unpack what Kamala said in the 40-minute interview.
Alex, self-aware enough to know where her strengths lie, chose to focus her line of questioning on women’s rights, given the topic has been largely in focus during the election race. Topics ranged from Kamala’s relationship with her late mother, to what inspired her to become a prosecutor, to child sexual abuse and women’s reproductive rights. Kamala was given the opportunity to speak (without interruption) on the misleading comments Donald Trump made about third-term abortion and rebuked JD Vance’s “childless, cat-lady” comment by sharing her own definition of family.
Personally, my favourite moment of the interview was when Alex asked Kamala how she felt when Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders claimed that the Vice President doesn’t have anything keeping her humble because she doesn’t have biological children.
“I don’t think she understands that there are a whole lot of women out here who, one, are not aspiring to be humble. Two, a whole lot of women out here who have a lot of love in their life, family in their life and children in their life, and I think it’s really important for women to lift each other up.”
The idea that some women don’t aspire to be humble feels somewhat taboo, and I love that this concept was raised in a conversation between two incredibly powerful and confident women who are unashamed of their success.
Kamala eloquently described the practical application of certain policies, particularly when it came to the overturning of Roe v. Wade and what that devastating reality looked like for women living in states with abortion bans. She also shared some of the solutions she intends to implement to support families if voted into office.
“Part of my plan is to give 100 million more people who basically are middle-class working people, tax cuts, including for young parents, a $6,000 tax cut for the first year of their child’s life, which helps them buy a crib or a car seat or clothing and just get through that first year.”
Overall, I really enjoyed the interview. I was impressed by Alex’s composure (I’d be shitting myself), and I loved hearing Kamala talk in a more relaxed setting, as opposed to a presidential debate or heightened press junkets I so often see clips of.
As to be expected, the interview was divisive, particularly amongst Call Her Daddy fans.
“This was a horrible career move Alex,” one follower commented. “DONE, this was my fav podcast. I’m 100% disgusted,” said another. “So cool! Kamala sits down for a podcast as a fourth of the country is underwater. Great leader right there,” someone wrote, referring to Hurricane Helene, the natural disaster currently devastating America’s southeast.
Concurrently, fans loved the episode, and vocally supported the host, perplexed at the backlash. “The entire conversation was about advocating for women. What are the women in the comments upset about?” someone asked. “Imagine being a woman following a woman who created a podcast for the health/interest of women and being upset that she’s interviewing a woman who might potentially become the first woman president of the United States lol,” posed another.
While a lot of people in the comments dragged Alex for platforming one presidential candidate and not the other, the host very deliberately stated in the introduction of the episode that they had reached out to Trump’s team with an open invitation. “If he also wants to have a meaningful, in-depth conversation about women’s rights in this country, then he is welcome on Call Her Daddy anytime.”
I wouldn’t hold my breath for that episode.
While some have mocked Kamala for her aggressively gen Z approach during the campaign (let us not forget that Kamala, is in fact, “brat”), this tweet from X user Michael Rosenberg suggests that the VP’s targeted marketing might actually be broader than we’ve given her credit for.
Harris boosting turnout among apolitical young women (Call Her Daddy), supercharging suburban women (The View), and showing some personality for edgy middle-aged men (Howard Stern) is a brilliant start to her endgame strategy.
— Michael Rosenberg (@MJRosenbergDad) October 6, 2024
Watch this space, because with the election only weeks away, we just might see an eleventh-hour Kamala cameo on Hot Ones.
Written by Lil Friedmann, who is always down for more women chatting on podcasts about how wrong Trump can be. You can follow her at @lilfriedmann on socials.
Image credit: @callherdaddy + Punkee
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