Controversy exploded around the Barstool Sports podcast Call Her Daddy. The intricate web of feuds has generated a vast response, ranging from legal threats to TikTok parodies. Here’s a quick explanation of each of the sub-feuds and why the situation even matters.

What is Call Her Daddy?

Call Her Daddy is a weekly podcast owned by Barstool Sports and hosted by Sofia Franklyn, 27, and Alexandra Cooper, 26. In the series, the two hosts discuss their lives in New York City in a style they describe as “uncensored, real, female locker room talk.” The show, targeted at a twenty-something audience, doesn’t shy away from racy content or off-colour humour.

The series was a near-instant success, and within a month of its launch, Barstool Sports had hired the pair to produce their podcast under their label. Barstool CEO Erika Nardini has described the program as a crown jewel of the company’s podcast wing—and for good reason. The show is currently No. 20 on the Apple Podcast charts.

Feud No.1: Kesha Stans v. Diehard “Fathers”

Rumours about potential disharmony began after an April 8th episode of Call Her Daddy, which the hosts opened by playing the song “Praying” by Kesha. The hosts told listeners to “interpret that however you want.”

“Praying” is about Kesha’s struggle against her record producer, Dr. Luke (Lukasz Sebastian Gottwald). The pop star famously sued Dr. Luke in 2014 over allegations of emotional, physical and sexual abuse that she claims he inflicted on her. Though she tried to get out of her contract with Dr. Luke’s label, the suit ultimately ended in 2016 in the producer’s favour, forbidding Kesha from recording with any studio but his. “Praying” was a single intended to express how shameful Dr. Luke’s behaviour was.

The use of “Praying” caused some panic for fans of the podcast who call themselves “Fathers.” But when it came to light that the song was meant to be a reference to contract disagreements between the podcast hosts and their employers, some die-hard Kesha fans were outraged that they would even compare their business dispute to the years of abuse Kesha withstood. The allusion, say Kesha supporters, was tone-deaf.

Feud No. 2: Barstool Sports v. Call Her Daddy

The feud between the podcasters and the entertainment platform Barstool Sports began when Peter Nelson, an executive at HBO Sports and the boyfriend to co-host Sofia Franklyn, tried to shop the podcast around to other networks. The hosts felt that their contract with Barstool was overly-restrictive, impeding them from growing their brand to the extent that they wanted.

Naturally, Barstool’s leadership was not pleased when it caught wind of the news. They claimed credit for much of the podcast’s success and deemed any attempt by the hosts to leave the platform a legal and moral indignity.

Feud No. 3: Cooper v. Franklyn

To calm tensions, Barstool Sports founder David Portnoy stepped in to negotiate with the hosts. He claims that he offered the two a $500,000 annual salary, bonuses and six months off their original three-year contract. While Cooper agreed to the terms, she allegedly told Portnoy that Franklyn would never sign-on under such conditions, especially given her boyfriend’s hardline against the company.

Now the dispute appears to be rupturing the relationship between the co-hosts. Franklyn claims that Cooper tried to negotiate for more than 50% control of the program, even though the two had always been equal business partners.

Now, with Franklyn allegedly gearing-up for a lawsuit, the in-fighting has even spread to fans of the podcast, who have chosen sides between the once-harmonious duo.

Feud No. 4: “Suitman” v. …Everybody?

Peter Nelson, Franklyn’s boyfriend, who she refers to on the podcast as “Suitman,” has become a meme at the center of the controversy who many blame because when he tried to poach the co-hosts away from Barstool Sports.

Barstool Sports has now released a line of apparel dedicated to hating “Suitman” Nelson. The company is selling both men’s and women’s sweatshirts and shirts that read either “Cancel Suitman,” “Suits Suck” or “Dump Him.”

TikTok creators have also joined in on the fun, performing parodical songs and dances in front of images of Nelson and even comparing him to the villainous Lord Farquaad from the movie Shrek.

Why This Situation Matters

While the drama of the situation is a fun escape from the otherwise distressing news cycle, the situation raises some interesting questions about the direction of new media. As technology evolves to allow for greater independent control over media, there are bound to be growing pains between content creators and the networks that profit off them.

Podcasts, for example, are almost entirely personality-based, dependent on the ability of their hosts, who typically produce and write their casts. This vast control by one or two people at the center of the podcast makes it virtually impossible for a network to continue the show without the creators’ participation. All it would take for Call Her Daddy to end, say, would be Franklyn or Cooper’s exit.

And so, the Call Her Daddy drama is likely the first in a line of similar disputes that will arise as the suits co-mingle with the creatives. Seen that before i.e. Swift v. Braun.