Dave Portnoy is forcefully denying Sofia Franklyn’s insinuation that he slept with Alex Cooper.
The Barstool Sports founder, 49, addressed the claim during an appearance on “The Toast” podcast Wednesday, where he sat down with sisters Jackie Oshry and Claudia Oshry, 32, to discuss Franklyn’s new memoir “Daddy Issues.” The book hit shelves Tuesday and immediately stirred controversy with its behind-the-scenes account of the “Call Her Daddy” split.
Franklyn, 34, wrote about a rooftop meeting at Portnoy’s apartment where she suspected Cooper had visited before. “I expect Alex to make a joke about [his apartment], but she’s uncharacteristically awkward and doesn’t say a thing. Something gives me the vibe she’s been here before,” she wrote. “‘Jesus Christ, did they f–k or something?'”
Portnoy shut that down completely. “She had not [been to my apartment before]. She knows that. Like, she knows that! The first time either of them were in my apartment was the rooftop meeting,” he insisted during the podcast interview.
When the Oshry sisters pressed him directly about whether he and Cooper had ever “kissed or made out,” he didn’t hesitate. “No,” he said. “We don’t even like each other.”
The podcast hosts themselves pushed back on Portnoy’s framing of the memoir, clarifying that Franklyn hadn’t stated outright that a sexual relationship occurred. Claudia Oshry explained the passage rested on intuition rather than accusation: “Her reasoning for saying that was when they go to your apartment for a rooftop meeting, she has this sense Alex has been there before.”
Despite his denial of the Cooper rumor, Portnoy didn’t hold back his contempt for Franklyn throughout the conversation — a conversation he initiated by reaching out to the sisters for the interview. He repeatedly shared what they described as his “hatred” of his former employee.
He went further, accusing Franklyn of “directing” the outlet to a woman who made sexual assault allegations against him in a 2021 investigative report. Multiple women had accused Portnoy of violent sexual acts during intercourse and filming encounters without consent, allegations he has consistently denied by describing the encounters as consensual. He sued the outlet for defamation in February 2022, though the lawsuit was dismissed nine months later.
Cooper, 32, has remained publicly silent on the memoir’s release. Sources said Hollywood last week that she was in “full-on panic mode” as the publication date approached. Rather than addressing Franklyn’s claims, she has continued promoting new podcast episodes for her network, Unwell.
In a rare moment of agreement with Franklyn, Portnoy did concede that Cooper made a mistake in naming her network Unwell — a term he said originated as Franklyn’s joke. “That was stupid by Alex. I don’t know why she did that,” he said. “It is a great name. But I think it was Sofia’s joke. I don’t think anybody disputes that. That was a misstep by [Cooper], I think.”
The original “Call Her Daddy” partnership between Cooper and Franklyn imploded in 2020 in a contract dispute that became one of podcasting’s most public meltdowns. The two had built a massive following with their raunchy dating advice and celebrity interviews before tensions with Barstool Sports escalated. Cooper ultimately stayed with the brand temporarily before departing for a lucrative Spotify deal, while Franklyn launched her own podcast “Sofia with an F.” The former friends have traded barbs publicly ever since, with Franklyn’s memoir representing her most detailed account yet of the fracture.
Reps for both Cooper and Franklyn did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Portnoy’s podcast appearance.
Portnoy’s defamation lawsuit against the outlet remains dismissed, and he has not announced any new legal action related to the memoir’s allegations.