Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy has alleged that former "Call Her Daddy" podcast hosts Alex Cooper and Sofia Franklyn threatened to fabricate a sexual harassment claim against him and his company to escape their contracts. The claims are detailed in Portnoy's new memoir, "Cancel Me If You Can."
Portnoy states that contract negotiations in 2020, following the podcast's growing popularity, led to significant conflict. According to the memoir, the hosts' dissatisfaction emerged after a 2019 appearance on Logan Paul's podcast, where they reportedly discussed their compensation and contracts with Barstool Sports.
"Call Her Daddy" hired a lawyer who presented a list of demands that Portnoy described as "preposterous." These demands included an annual salary of $1 million each, the right to sell their own ads, ownership of the "Call Her Daddy" intellectual property, and 90% of merchandise sales, while no longer being considered employees of Barstool.
Portnoy also pointed to Peter Nelson, described as a former HBO executive and Franklyn's then-boyfriend, as a key figure in the negotiations, calling him "quite possibly a human incarnation of Satan." Franklyn has previously stated that Nelson's involvement was not significant.
As contract negotiations stalled, Portnoy claims the hosts stopped producing podcast episodes, creating a potential breach of contract. He recounts a secret meeting on his apartment building's rooftop with Alex Cooper, during which he made what he called "the most generous offer in Barstool history." It was at this meeting, Portnoy alleges, that Cooper indicated Franklyn would not accept the deal.
Portnoy claims he then warned Cooper that Barstool would sue if they took the podcast to another network before their contract expired. According to Portnoy, Cooper then revealed their plan: if Portnoy did not release them from their contract and intellectual property rights, they would claim they were sexually harassed at Barstool.
"That was it. That was their game plan to get out of their contractual obligation to Barstool Sports," Portnoy writes. He asserts that while Barstool had faced criticism for sexist jokes, a false accusation of inappropriate workplace conduct would have been difficult to combat in the court of public opinion.
Portnoy has publicly accused Franklyn of being a "f[...]ing liar" regarding these events. He stated that his memoir aims to present his account of the fallout and what he believes to be the truth behind the podcast's departure from Barstool Sports.
The Daily Mail has contacted Cooper, Franklyn, Paul, and Nelson for comment on Portnoy's claims.