Alex Cooper Documentary: 20 Surprising Revelations

Buzz Feed

19-06-2025

Even if you're not part of the Daddy Gang, you've probably heard of Alex Cooper and her wildly popular podcast, Call Her Daddy. Breaking out to massive success thanks to her honest, no-holds-barred takes on sex, dating, and relationships, Alex has since taken the podcast's popularity into groundbreaking deals with Spotify and, most recently, SiriusXM.
But this time, in the Hulu docuseries Call Her Alex, the cameras and the questions turn toward the podcaster herself as she shares surprising revelations about her childhood, her past traumas, and her path to success.
Since childhood, Alex was no stranger to cameras. Her father, Bryan Cooper, was a sports producer for the Philadelphia Flyers. His career, which was not a typical "9-5", was a "normalization," of what Alex thought was the most "incredible, magical" job. "I was enamored with that world," she said.
Growing up, Alex didn't have trouble making friends with girls but faced difficulty with the boys. "I was so scared of boys because of the way they treated me," she said. They would comment with insults like, "You look like a skeleton," or that her legs looked "frail." She recalled all she wanted at that time was for them to like her and to feel "wanted" and "desired."
She's naturally a red-head.
Her hair color would also incite bullying from the kids at school.
Unlike school, her home life was a happy one. "I had this really healthy home life," Alex said. "When I was home, I was Alex." As the youngest of four siblings, she was the "loudest one."
She never told her family about being bullied because she was too embarrassed.
At home, in the safety of her family's basement, she would spend her time making content. She would make videos with friends and even set up a green screen. Kristen Gatti, a childhood friend who made videos with her, shared in the series that they even recreated Devil Wears Prada word for word.
Alex had even taught herself Adobe Premiere at "under 10 years old," said her brother, Grant Cooper. In the safety of the basement, she had full control over the worlds she was creating. It was a place she said she felt "100% myself."
Another childhood passion of Alex's was sports. "Playing sports and making videos in the basement, those were the two things I really loved," she said.
"I loved being an athlete," said Alex. "It truly allowed me to lean into everything that I liked about myself — being competitive, being determined, having grit."
Her long-time passion for soccer even led to a full tuition scholarship to Boston University, an NCAA Division I school. "I felt this enormous privilege that I was able to carry on and do this."
It was an exciting time and a new chapter for Alex. However, in her sophomore year, Alex claims that her coach, Nancy Feldman, started paying "extra attention" to her in a way that she felt was "confusing." The coach, from Alex's perspective, seemed too concerned about Alex's personal life — about who she was dating, making comments about her body, and wanting to be alone with her, Alex alleged.
When Alex was dropped off at practice by a guy she was seeing, Coach Feldman allegedly asked if she had sex and warned her about sleeping off-campus, which Alex said in the docuseries that her teammates were sleeping off campus too. According to Alex, the coach warned her if she didn't toe the line, that there would be "consequences."
Other allegations include a film session, where the team would review playing clips and the coach would comment on Alex's appearance instead of her performance, said Cooper and Alex Schlobohm, a friend and former teammate. Alex S. said, "Whatever reason, every minute that Alex played was highlighted during that film session. It was all based off of her appearance, whereas I felt like when she made comments about other players, it was about their performance."
Alex S. was then allegedly kicked off the team by the coach without any reason. According to Alex, the next day, the coach said, 'You see what I just did to your friend? You're not gonna live with her. You're gonna live with who I want you to live with, and you will not be seeing her anymore.'
Alex and her parents decided to take it up with the school officials. They allegedly approached the Dean of Athletics with a list of incidents, which they now believed constituted sexual harassment, that Alex's mom had logged since freshman year. But, according to Alex, instead of reviewing the allegations, the school officials asked what Alex wanted from the situation. There would be no conversation about an investigation, the firing of Coach Feldman, or even a reading of the alleged incidents.
After that, Alex quit the team. "I'm done. I don't ever want to see this woman again," she had said, even though all she had wanted to do was finish her senior year playing the sport that she loved.
Both Alex S. and Alex were able to keep their scholarships.
After graduating from Boston University, where she studied film and television, she moved to New York to pursue a career in film and TV. But she faced difficulty in getting her foot in the door. This led to her starting a YouTube channel, where she put on "creative, weird, fun vlog skits."
When she started her podcasting journey, Alex said she experienced "low moments" and "self-doubt," especially when it came to judgment about the podcast's sexual content. "Extended family members thought I was so fucking crazy. Relationships ended in my family because my parents had to stick up for me and say like, 'Oh, she hasn't lost her mind, I promise.'"
The infamous podcast name, Call Her Daddy, started from a hoodie she bought in college that said "DADDY" on it.
Alex's husband, Matt Kaplan, is a film and TV producer who she once nicknamed "Mr. Sexy Zoom Man" when they first started dating. According to Alex's mom, he is Alex's first "real" relationship.
Alex said that the bullying she experienced led her to think that she would never get married or have kids. She also thought marriage would threaten her independence, but her views changed with Matt.
Friendship is very important to Alex. Lauren McMullen, who was part of the childhood trio Alex used to make videos with, has been working behind the scenes as a producer for Call Her Daddy. "I can't imagine doing it without her," said Alex. "It's like this crazy synergy that we have together. We'll just be bouncing off each other talking a mile a minute. It just feels so cozy," said Lauren. "I think that's what translates, that it doesn't feel like this corporate sterile washed-down thing. It feels like people who actually really care about this."
On Alex's growth and why the podcast resonates with millions of listeners, Lauren said, "She could have really used an Alex Cooper back when she was in middle school and high school, and she is now that voice to people who could be her."
Have you watched Call Her Alex on Hulu yet? Let us know in the comments.