Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper defends controversial ex-boss Dave Portnoy
- Alex, 30, appeared at The New York Times' DealBook Summit on Wednesday
- Podcast Call Her Daddy was owned by Portnoy's Barstool Sports until June 2021
- READ MORE: Dave fumes at clip of Jason Kelce signing autograph for 'lunatic' fan
Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper has defended her former boss, Dave Portnoy, on Wednesday and described him as 'really, really smart.'
Speaking at the The New York Times' DealBook Summit, the 30-year-old podcaster - whose first platform before finding success on Spotify was Portnoy's Barstool Sports - didn't shy away when asked about his past offensive comments.
In the past, Portnoy has allegedly made comments that normalize rape culture and in 2020, multiple videos of him surfaced that showed him using the N-word or joking about blackface.
Back in October, he unleased a furious six-minute anti-Kamala Harris rant and more recently, he branded President Joe Biden a 'liar' after he pardoned his son, Hunter.
It was also reported that Portnoy had made multiple 'unprovoked, personal attacks online' including frequent 'sexually harassing comments' toward Deadspin's Laura Wagner.
Portnoy has defended himself from allegations of sexism, saying: 'I gave two girls their own radio show. We have hired girl after girl. They say it's a great place to work.'
When asked about his offensive comments, Cooper said on Wednesday: 'I think I could ask every single woman in this room, like, "What’s been said about your boss?" Probably similar stuff.'
Back in May, Cooper invited Portnoy onto her hugely successful podcast, which has seen her interview the likes of Vice President Kamala Harris, Miley Cyrus, and Jane Fonda.
Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper spoke about her ex-boss Dave Portnoy at the New York Times annual DealBook Summit on Wednesday
Portnoy, pictured here in November, has been accused of using the N-word and making misogynistic comments in the past
Cooper described her former boss Portnoy as 'really, really smart' when asked about him at the New York Event
Portnoy made a surprise appearance during a live taping of the podcast and shared a video on his Instagram account at the time.
The clip saw Cooper introducing him to the audience.
'This guest and I have quite the public relationship and we’ve been through some s*** together. He was my first boss in the industry,' she said.
Call Her Daddy was launched in 2018 by Cooper and her former cohost, Sofia Franklyn.
In the late spring of 2020, Cooper and Franklyn were engaged in a publicized dispute with Portnoy, which resulted in Franklyn leaving the show.
Cooper reached an agreement with Barstool and continued hosting the podcast on her own.
Call Her Daddy was formerly owned and distributed by Barstool Sports until June 2021, when it was announced that Cooper had signed an exclusive deal with Spotify worth $60 million.
In August 2024, the blonde star signed a $125 million deal with Sirius XM to replace Spotify as her distribution and advertising partner.
Cooper chatting to New York Times columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin at Jazz at Lincoln Center on Wednesday afternoon
In August 2024, Cooper signed a deal with Sirius XM to replace Spotify as her distribution and advertising partner for Call Her Daddy
During her time onstage at The New York Times's DealBook Summit, Cooper was asked if she considered herself a journalist or an entertainer, to which she replied: ' No, I consider myself Alex Cooper.'
She then said: 'I don’t care if people consider me a journalist or a podcaster, or just a girl that talks online every week.
'I know what I’m doing is changing a lot of lives.'
She then told New York Times columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin: 'I’m not trying to be the next Howard Stern. What he has built is incredible, and I think what I have built is also incredible.'
She also praised Joe Rogan, Spotify’s top podcaster.
