Alex Cooper says interviewing Kamala Harris on 'Call Her Daddy' podcast was 'totally worth' the backlash

AUSTIN, TEXAS: Alex Cooper, host of the podcast 'Call Her Daddy', is no stranger to controversy, but her recent decision to sit down with Vice President Kamala Harris just weeks before the presidential election stirred up more backlash than she has ever faced.

Yet, the risk "was totally worth it" for Cooper, as per the New York Post.

Alex Cooper defends decision to host Kamala Harris on 'Call Her Daddy' podcast

"I am very aware that my audience is very split, and I again take that with responsibility; I don’t want to alienate people but I did feel like I had a sense of responsibility, so I kind of like didn’t care," the 30-year-old podcast host told Forbes in a recent cover story.

Cooper, whose show typically focuses on sex, relationships, and advice for women, had previously vowed to steer clear of politics on her platform.

However, with women’s rights dominating the headlines this election season, she felt compelled to break her own rule.

She explained, "They reached out to me and I recognized that maybe in a different election, it wouldn’t be the case, and who knows in future elections what I’ll do, but in this specific election the entire focus is on women’s bodies and we’re losing rights by the days, and so, to have the most popular female podcast, where most women listen to the show in the country, it felt like a no-brainer."

The decision to host Harris, who used the 40-minute interview to criticize Donald Trump’s role in the overturning of Roe v Wade and discuss strategies for combating domestic violence, wasn’t without its detractors.

Some fans expressed outrage over Cooper’s choice of guest, accusing her of failing to ask tougher questions on issues like illegal immigration, the administration’s response to Hurricane Helene, and accusations against Harris' husband, Doug Emhoff.

But Cooper wasn’t fazed. "People say they’re going to cancel me all day. They’re still listening," she told Forbes.

"It was totally worth it. The noise always comes, the negative, and then it was overwhelming the positivity I saw. It was a lot of people coming forward and speaking up and thanking me. And it also created a lot of conversation, which I was really proud of," added Cooper. 

Alex Cooper's Kamala Harris interview gained moderate views despite costing six figures

For the interview, which aired on October 6, Kamala Harris' campaign reportedly spent six figures from her $1 billion campaign war chest to construct a custom 'Call Her Daddy' set in Washington, DC.

Despite the investment, the episode has garnered just 911,000 views on YouTube, a modest figure compared to Donald Trump’s October 25 appearance on 'The Joe Rogan Experience', which has racked up over 52 million views.

Notably, Cooper offered Trump the same opportunity to appear on her podcast, but he declined.

Harris' team had also been in talks with Joe Rogan for a potential interview, but negotiations fell apart due to her refusal to travel to Austin, Texas, and a strict one-hour time limit imposed by her team.

Cooper, whose podcast is the second-best-performing on Spotify behind Rogan's, is no stranger to high-profile interviews. Her guest list includes A-listers like Simone Biles, Miley Cyrus, Megan Fox, Katy Perry, and Hailey Bieber.

The success of 'Call Her Daddy' recently propelled Cooper into a reported $125 million deal with SiriusXM, marking the podcast’s transition from Spotify. 

She also launched her own media platform, Unwell Network, last year.

While the backlash from the Harris interview lingers, Cooper remains undeterred, standing by her decision as both timely and impactful. "It’s about creating a dialogue," she emphasized.