Since 2018, influencer and internet socialite Alex Cooper has discussed dating, sex, and pop culture on her podcast, Call Her Daddy. Cooper has had many high-profile guests on her show, including Demi Lovato, Monica Lewinsky, and former Vice President Kamala Harris. A common theme among Cooper’s guests is their tenacious life stories. Her most recent episode featuring Chappell Roan shed light on Cooper’s unsatisfactory interviewing skills that fail to expand into the intricacies of guest stars’ lives. Â
The Call Her Daddy style is relaxed, and guests sit with Cooper and talk about their lives. Because of her influential reach, Cooper has the opportunity to interview relevant and high-esteemed figures, making the need for decent questions imperative. Unfortunately, Cooper does not dig deeper into her guests’ lives and the answers they provide.
In her most recent episode, Roan opened up a lot about her mental health struggles since being launched into stardom and how this newfound fame has been affecting her. Opposed to inquiring an in-depth explanation or opening up the space for a related profound conversation, Cooper immediately moved on to her next pre-picked question.
One vital skill an interviewer must have is the ability to stray away from their original vision of the interview and allow for authenticity. Natural conversations do not have a set dialogue, and new discussions can emerge based on topics brought up, which is one thing Cooper lacks. She becomes so dependent on her cue cards that she doesn’t open the door for new conversation.Â
Similarly, Cooper spends a lot of time adding her own personal anecdotes to the conversations. X users have pointed out that Cooper tends to talk about herself often, especially in front of guests she’s very fond of.
A recent example can be found in her interview with singer/songwriter Avril Lavigne, who was featured on an episode in May 2024. In this episode, Cooper spent an exorbitant amount of time talking about how much Lavigne meant to her growing up. While her initial remarks were sweet and seemed to resonate with wholesome memories for Cooper, the dialogue quickly grew awkward, and it appeared Lavigne was slightly uncomfortable. Not to mention her questions about conspiracy theories regarding Lavigne being replaced by a body double. Lavigne’s body language changed, and it was clear to audiences that the questions did not amuse her.Â
Cooper recently founded The Unwell Network, which produces various other podcast channels. This highlights the controversy in how the rise in podcast productions has opened the door for an oversaturated industry. Even more so, this aligns with another issue of celebrities and influencers taking over the journalism industry, leaving out the true professionals. Cooper is not a journalist, and it has become explicitly clear that she does not understand the nuance of interviewing. Her surface-level questioning and devotion to her “script” do not allow for genuine interview experiences for her guests.
The style of Call Her Daddy is unique in that it allows celebrities and public figures to talk casually about their lives; however, that does not mean that the standard needs to be lowered. It could be the chance for Cooper to dig deep into the lives of people we may not get to know closely. The level of questioning and conversation should be high-value, just as would be expected for any other interview forum. Cooper has created an empire and should take inspiration from good podcasts to set her standards higher.