What Going on <em>Call Her Daddy </em>Did for Kamala Harris
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Very few podcasters would apologize to their fans for clogging up their feed by interviewing a presidential candidate. But Alex Cooper—the host of a podcast variously described as “raunchy, “sex-positive,” “mega-popular,” and “the most-listened-to podcast by women”—is an exception. “Daddy Gang,” she began her latest episode, “as you know, I do not usually discuss politics, or have politicians on this show, because I want Call Her Daddy to be a place where everyone feels comfortable tuning in.”
Her guest was Kamala Harris, and Cooper had decided to speak with the Democratic nominee because “overall, my focus is women and the day-to-day issues that we face.” Their 40-minute conversation covered Harris’s upbringing, the rollback of abortion rights, the high cost of housing, and Republican attacks on “childless cat ladies.” This wasn’t a hard-hitting accountability interview, but it did contain a right-wing attacks, which seemed to think the pair were braiding each other’s hair. After a summer of largely avoiding interviews with mainstream news outlets, the Harris campaign—like Donald Trump’s—is seeking out friendly podcasters who are popular with normie audiences. As a journalist, I wish both campaigns were doing more tough interviews. But as a pragmatist, I realize that hard-news shows do not command the audiences they once did. Also, most Americans who consume a lot of news already know how they’re going to vote. Nailing down voters—including those who don’t currently plan to cast a ballot—is vital. And if that means going on podcasts hosted by YouTube pranksters turned wrestlers (as Trump did) or ones with past episode titles including “Threesomes, Toxic Men and OnlyFans” (as Harris did), so be it.
