Six years after cutting ties with Alex Cooper and the "Call Her Daddy" podcast they created together, Sofia Franklyn is telling her side of the story in her new memoir, Daddy Issues.
"It was not a redemption. It wasn't revenge. It was very much just needing to tell my story because I was kind of frozen in time, like I was frozen as that girl from six years ago," Franklyn tells Marie Claire editor-in-chief Nikki Ogunnaike on the latest episode of "Nice Talk." (Their conversation was recorded at a launch event for Franklyn's book at The Strand in New York City.)
In case you're out of the loop: Franklyn and Cooper were close friends and roommates who created the podcast together in 2018. It became very popular, very quickly, and in 2020, the co-hosts had a falling out related to contract negotiations for the highly lucrative podcast. Cooper still hosts the show today and has her own media company. Franklyn hosts her own podcast, Sofia with an F, but hasn't shared all the details of her split from Cooper until now.
So while the story of Franklyn and Cooper's split is related to their careers, multi-million dollar deals, and fame, at its heart, it's something many of us have experienced: a friendship breakup.
"That shit is hard," Franklyn says. "I think friendship breakups are tougher than romantic ones, because your friend functions as so many things. You know, your therapist, your safe space, your enabler ... And especially women friendships. It's like a blood oath. It is intense."
But Franklyn has a reminder for those experiencing the end to a friendship. "For anyone going through one, there are bridges sometimes that are worth burning," the 34-year-old says.
That said, she still believes that its worth giving a former friend a second chance in the right circumstances.
"I think they're worth a do-over if the friend in question is willing to have a real, honest, genuine conversation with you," she says.
Franklyn has long moved on from the podcast and her relationship with Cooper, but she still gets emotional when thinking about their listeners.
"I think a huge misconception is that I walked away, that I didn't want to be there anymore, and I didn't care about the Daddy Gang," she says of their fans. "And that was never the fucking case. I cared. I cared."
For more from Franklyn—including her current status with Call Her Daddy collaborator Muji Fricke and her memoir writing process—check out this week's installment of "Nice Talk." The episode is available everywhere you listen to podcasts.