Updated

Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Jun 30

Portnoy Claims 2 Call Her Daddy Hosts Planned Harassment Allegations to Exit Barstool Contracts

Updated

Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Jun 30

Portnoy Claims 2 Call Her Daddy Hosts Planned Harassment Allegations to Exit Barstool Contracts

Q: Portnoy's book alleges a harassment plot. Will this claim be legally challenged, or is it just a publicity move?

Right now, it looks more like a publicity-driving allegation than an active legal fight. There is no public indication that Alex Cooper or Sofia Franklyn has sued, threatened to sue, or formally challenged Dave Portnoy’s claim that they discussed using sexual-harassment allegations to escape their Barstool contracts. Reports around the memoir and the WSJ Magazine interview show the accusation being aired widely, but no documented legal response has followed so far. That said, the claim is serious enough that a defamation dispute is possible if either woman argues it is false and damaging. Both Cooper and Franklyn are public figures, which would make any case harder: they would likely need to show not just falsity and reputational harm, but also that Portnoy acted with actual malice. Portnoy is framing the allegation as something Cooper told him directly, which, if true, would strengthen his defense. A memoir and interview record also create a clear publication trail. The broader context points strongly to promotion. Portnoy’s book, *Cancel Me If You Can*, was released the same day these excerpts circulated, and the accusation is exactly the kind of explosive insider claim that drives coverage. Portnoy has openly tied the book to ego and visibility, and the rollout fits that pattern. So the best reading at this stage is that it is primarily a publicity move with legal risk attached, not a dispute that has yet turned into litigation.

3 articles · Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Jun 30

WSJ Magazine published Dave Portnoy’s claim that Alex Cooper and Sofia Franklyn planned to accuse Barstool of sexual harassment to escape their contracts during 2020 negotiations.
Portnoy said the hit podcast had outgrown Barstool after launching in 2018 and becoming a breakout success, turning renegotiations into an acrimonious split.
He also said Cooper and Franklyn “hated each other,” echoing the public fallout that ended with Cooper keeping Call Her Daddy and Franklyn launching Sofia with an F.
Cooper said in a 2024 interview that she fought to secure the Call Her Daddy IP, arguing the brand and archive were worth far more than a short-term pay increase.
The allegation lands against a backdrop of years of misogyny criticism aimed at Barstool and Portnoy, though the report includes no response from Cooper or Franklyn.