Alex Cooper’s Biggest Move Wasn’t the $125M Deal

When Call Her Daddy launched in 2018, there was no obvious indication that Cooper would eventually be running a media company valued at $500 million. There was just a podcast, a growing audience and a format that people couldn't stop talking about.

Six years later, in 2024, SiriusXM announced a new multi-year partnership with Cooper, reportedly worth $125 million. The deal expanded beyond Call Her Daddy to include advertising and distribution around Unwell’s wider slate, alongside new programming and content.

The interesting part isn't the number. It's everything she built between those two moments.

When Cooper continued Call Her Daddy alone after her 2020 split from co-host Sofia Franklyn, she didn't simply preserve the show. She turned it into something increasingly identifiable with her own name and voice. In 2021, Spotify reportedly paid $60 million for a three-year exclusive deal.

Then came the bigger shift. In 2023, she launched Unwell, bringing other creators into the ecosystem. Suddenly, the business wasn't dependent on one microphone or one host. It could grow through talent, formats, advertising and new shows.

By the time SiriusXM came calling on August 20, 2024, there was considerably more to acquire than a hit podcast. Its multi-year agreement covered advertising and distribution around Call Her Daddy and Unwell's current and future slate, as well as new programming and content. That's the part of Cooper's story worth paying attention to. The podcast was the product. The audience was the asset. The company was an opportunity. And she's still building.

Two years later, the business is still expanding. In August 2026, Unwell was reported to have reached a $500 million valuation following an investment from WTSL.

Cooper's biggest move, then, wasn't landing a $125 million deal. It was making sure there was a much bigger business waiting on the other side of it.