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Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper accuses her female college soccer coach of sexual harassment
Popular 'Call Her Daddy' podcast host Alex Cooper claims she was sexually harassed during her time playing soccer at Boston University more than a decade earlier. The culprit, according to Cooper's new Hulu documentary, was the school's long-time former coach, Nancy Feldman. 'I felt a lot of anger—anger at my coach, anger at my school, and anger at the system that allowed this to happen,' Cooper said in the Hulu documentary, as quoted by Vanity Fair. 'I don't think anyone could've prepared me for the lasting effects that came from this experience. She turned something that I loved so much into something extremely painful.' Cooper's allegations of unwanted attention and invasive questions are corroborated by her former dormmate and teammate Alex Schlobohm. What's more, Cooper further claimed she went to school officials about Feldman's behavior, only to have her concerns dismissed. Daily Mail has reached out to Boston University officials and Nancy Feldman for comment, as did Vanity Fair. Neither BU nor Feldman has issued a response to the claim. 'It was this psychotic game of, 'You wanna play? Tell me about your sex life. I have to drive you to your night class, get in the car with me alone,' Cooper claimed in the film, Call Her Alex. 'I started trying to spend as little time as possible with her. Taking different routes to practice where I knew I wouldn't run into her, during meetings, I would try to sit as far away from her as possible. Literally anything to not be alone with this woman.' Sometimes Feldman would pull Cooper in to sit next to her on the couch, the podcaster claimed, adding that the coach would often stare at her or place a hand on her thigh. Fearful of Feldman's power over her own scholarship, Cooper contacted attorneys who warned her of the potential consequences of taking legal action. 'If I'm gonna be real with you, they will drag this on for years and this will be your life,' Cooper quoted the attorneys in the film. Eventually Cooper approached university staff about the problem. 'I want to play my senior year,' she said, recalling the conversation. 'I want to finish out what I worked my entire life for, but I can't play for this woman. They said, 'We're not gonna fire her, but you can keep your entire scholarship and that's that.' No investigation. Within five minutes, they had entirely dismissed everything I had been through.' This is not the first time Cooper has referenced the alleged harassment. She told The Athletic in 2022 that she planned to talk about it after she was 'healed.' 'I'll talk about it one day,' Cooper said. 'I had a traumatic experience happen in college with regard to soccer. It made me a stronger person. So, learning the tools of competitiveness, resilience, having to gain confidence in yourself. Although it was hard in the moment, that does translate to who I am today as the host of 'Call Her Daddy.' These days Cooper is a media titan after starting her podcasting career at Barstool Sports and moving on to Spotify with a three-year, $60 million deal in 2021. Feldman coached the BU Terriers since 1995, when the school first adopted women's soccer as a varsity sport, until 2022. Over that time, she guided the Terriers to 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, 13 conference titles and was twice named NSCAA Coach of the Year.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Alex Cooper Breaks Down in Tears as She Accuses Her College Soccer Coach of Sexual Harassment
Alex Cooper has come forward with allegations of sexual harassment against her former college soccer coach The Call Her Daddy podcaster made the claims in her new docuseries Call Her Alex, which premiered at the Tribeca Festival in New York City on June 8 Cooper attended and played soccer for Boston University from 2013 to 2015, when she alleges she was sexually harassed by Nancy FeldmanAlex Cooper has come forward with allegations of sexual harassment against her former college soccer coach. In her new Hulu docuseries Call Her Alex, which premiered at the Tribeca Festival in New York City on Sunday, June 8, the Call Her Daddy podcaster, 30, claimed she was sexually harassed by Nancy Feldman while attending Boston University (BU). Cooper said in the documentary that she noticed Feldman "really starting to fixate on me, way more than any other teammate of mine, and it was confusing," during her sophomore year of college. "[It] was all based in her wanting to know who I was dating, her making comments about my body and her always wanting to be alone with me," Cooper claimed in the documentary. Feldman, Boston University and the school's athletic department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment on Sunday, June 8. Cooper, who played for BU from 2013 to 2015, also alleged that Feldman would comment on her legs and would put her hand on her thigh. One time, she claimed Feldman asked her during a private meeting if she had had sex the night before. "It was this psychotic game of, 'You want to play? Tell me about your sex life,' " Cooper alleged, claiming that Feldman would tell her, "I have to drive you to your night class. Get in the car with me alone." "I felt so deeply uncomfortable," added the podcaster. Speaking about why she felt she couldn't speak out about the alleged abuse, Cooper said, "I was attending BU on a full-tuition scholarship. If I didn't follow this woman's rules, I was gone." According to Cooper, she spoke about the alleged sexual harassment with her parents, who contacted lawyers. However, the lawyers warned Cooper that the university would drag out a case for years. Boston University athletics officials also allegedly did not take action after Cooper and her parents provided written documentation of Feldman's inappropriate interactions. The college did not fire Feldman, though the coach later retired in 2022. Cooper did not play soccer her senior year, but she kept her scholarship. In the documentary, the project's director, Ry Russo-Young, asked Cooper to walk onto the university's soccer field and reflect on the alleged sexual harassment. During a Q&A held after the documentary's premiere on June 8, Cooper said that it took her 10 years to speak out — and her decision to do so was partly because of the project. "At this point in the filming process, I was not sure I wanted to talk about this experience," she said during the Q&A, referring to the moment she returned to the university campus. Cooper continued, "I was nervous and scared, and so [Russo-Young] was incredibly supportive and just said, 'Let's just go and let's see what comes up.' " "The minute I stepped back on that field, I felt so small," Cooper recalled. "I just felt like I was 18 years old again, and I was in a situation with someone in a position of power who abused their power, and I felt like I wasn't the 'Call Her Daddy' girl. I wasn't someone who had money and influence or whatever. I was just another woman who experienced harassment on a level that changed my life forever and took away the thing I loved the most." Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Cooper also said during the Q&A that the whole saga was "frustrating" for her, "because I want to tell women to come forward and say it, but I did, and I wasn't believed, and then it took me a decade." "I'm not ashamed that it took me 10 years," she added. "But it makes me question a lot, and I think this documentary, as difficult as it was to explore, I actually think this is just the beginning." "It's really opened my eyes to how difficult the system is, and it's so built against us as women," Cooper continued. Call Her Alex premieres on Hulu on June 10, with both episodes dropping at once. If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Call Her Daddy' Host Alex Cooper Accuses College Soccer Coach of Sexual Harassment
Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper claims in her new Hulu documentary that she was sexually harassed by her soccer coach, Nancy Feldman, at Boston University. Call Her Alex premiered at the Tribeca Festival on Sunday, and in part one, the podcasting mogul details the harassment she suffered over three years at the school, accusing Feldman of commenting on her body and asking questions about her intimate life, among other claims. Cooper, a top soccer player in high school, went to Boston University on a full scholarship. More from The Hollywood Reporter Las Vegas Aces vs. Golden State Valkyries Livestream: When to Watch the WNBA Game Online With Hulu + Live TV for Free 'Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' Season 2 Reunion Special to Air This Summer, Nick Viall to Host 'Paradise' Adds Raymond Cham Jr. to Season 2 Cast (Exclusive) 'My sophomore year, everything really shifted,' she said in the documentary. 'I started to notice her really starting to fixate on me way more than any other teammate of mine. And it was confusing because the focus wasn't like, 'You're doing so well, let's get you on the field, you're gonna be a starter.' It was all based on her [Feldman] wanting to know who I was dating, her making comments about my body and her always wanting to be alone with me.' Cooper said she would try to avoid Feldman, but that her coach would retaliate by benching her during games. It ultimately ended with Cooper being kicked off the soccer team senior year. 'It was this psychotic game of you wanna play? Tell me about your sex life, I have to drive you to your night class, get in the car with me alone,' she recalled. 'I started trying to spend as little time as possible with her, taking different routes to practice where I knew I wouldn't run into her. During meetings, I would try to sit as far away from her as possible, literally anything to not be alone with this woman.' In Call Her Alex, Cooper claimed university officials 'dismissed' her allegations against Feldman and that there was no investigation. Cooper graduated from Boston University in 2017, and Feldman retired in 2022. The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to Boston University for comment. In a Q&A following the premiere, Cooper shared why she chose to open up about the sexual harassment allegations in the documentary. 'I think a lot of this process almost made me realize, if I have the finances to pay for a lawyer and I have the resources to do all these things, how is another woman going to feel comfortable to come forward? I'm still fucking scared up here, you know. And I was nobody when I was in college. I did come forward. I was denied, essentially. And so the story is frustrating, because I want to tell women come forward … But I did, and I wasn't believed, and then it took me a decade.' She continued, 'I actually think this is just the beginning. It's really opened my eyes to how difficult the system is, and it's so built against us as women, and we have to fight so fucking hard to have our voices heard, and we are denied, or we're questioned, or you feel shame, and that started to really get in my head of, how am I about to not put this in the documentary? … I realized, holy shit, I have so much more work to do, and I'm going to use my platform to hopefully inspire other people to come forward and tell their stories, because conversation is the only way that we're going to actually have change and we're going to make change.' Best of The Hollywood Reporter Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025 Harvey Weinstein's "Jane Doe 1" Victim Reveals Identity: "I'm Tired of Hiding" 'Awards Chatter' Podcast: 'Sopranos' Creator David Chase Finally Reveals What Happened to Tony (Exclusive)
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Call Her Daddy's Alex Cooper Claims Sexual Harassment By College Soccer Coach, Shocking Audience At Premiere Of New Hulu Documentary
Podcast giant Alex Cooper, a top soccer player in high school who went to Boston University on a full scholarship, described what she claimed was three years of escalating sexual harassment by her coach there, Nancy Feldman, that she said ended with her leaving the team senior year. The allegations were met with audible gasps in the audience at the end part 1 of a new Hulu documentary series Call Her Alex, which just premiered at the Tribeca Festival. In a Q&A after, Cooper said it took her ten years to come forward, which she did in large part because of the documentary, a behind the scenes look at the first live show of her hit podcast Call Her Daddy. The first leg was in Boston. Director Ry Russo-Young asked her to walk out on the BU soccer field and reflect on what it meant to her. More from Deadline Alex Cooper Offers Intimate Look At How She Grew 'Call Her Daddy' Podcast Into A Media Empire In 'Call Her Alex' Trailer SiriusXM Downplays Tariff Pressures - "Big Picture, We Sleep Well At Night" Says CFO Alex Cooper Documentary Called Up By Hulu 'And the minute I stepped back on the field, I felt so small. I felt just like I was 18 years old again. And I was in a situation with someone in a position of power who abused their power. And I felt like I wasn't the Call Her Daddy girl. I wasn't someone who had money and influence or whatever it be. I was just another woman who experienced harassment on a level that changed my life forever and took away the thing I loved the most,' she said during a Q&A after. She chose to go public to help herself heal and because she claims it is still an issue at the college. Feldman retired in 2022. University officials who Cooper claims brushed off her allegations are still there, she said. In the doc, she alleges the officials asked her, 'What do you want?' but that said they were not going to fire Feldman, did not investigate, but said she could keep her full soccer scholarship. Deadline has reached out to Boston University for comment. 'During the filming of this documentary, I found out that the harassment and abuse of power is still happening on the campus of Boston University, and I spoke to one of the victims, and hearing her story was horrific, and I knew in that moment, if I don't speak about this. It's going to continue happening,' Cooper claimed. 'I'm thinking about the amount of women who've probably experienced this, not just on that campus, but on a larger scale in the workplace. This isn't just happening on college campuses for soccer. This is everywhere. This is systemic. And so I knew it was time to speak about it, and I was terrified, and I'm still terrified. I'm shaking. I feel like I'm a decent public speaker at this point, but I'm scared,' she said. It also pained Cooper that her that her alleged harasser was a woman, she said. In the documentary, she claims a pattern that started sophomore year in earnest as the coach focused increasingly on her personally, not on her playing, with questions and comments about her body and her romantic life. She alleged Feldman would try to get her alone, put a hand on her thigh, stare at her, and once asked if she had had sex the previous night. 'It was this psychotic game of 'You want to play, tell me about your sex life',' Cooper said in the doc. When she tried to resist, she claimed, Feldman threatened 'consequences.' She accused the coach of retaliating on the field by benching her often, including for most of a key championship game, to the confusion of her teammates. Hulu release a trailer last week. It launches June 10. Cooper has alluded to a college trauma in the past. She initially launched the advice and comedy podcast Call Her Daddy in 2018, alongside her then co-host Sofia Franklyn, with Barstool Sports before signing a deal, thought to be worth around $60 million, with Spotify in 2021. The show exploded with women and became second only to The Joe Rogan Experience on the podcast charts before she moved to SiriusXM last year in a deal valued around $120 million. 'I think a lot of this process almost made me realize, if I have the finances to pay for a lawyer and I have the resources to do all these things, how is another woman going to feel comfortable to come forward? I'm still f–king scared up here, you know. And I was nobody when I was in college. I did come forward. I was denied, essentially. And so the story is frustrating, because I want to tell women come forward … But I did, and I wasn't believed, and then it took me a decade, Cooper said tonight. 'I actually think this is just the beginning. It's really opened my eyes to how difficult the system is, and it's so built against us as women, and we have to fight so fucking hard to have our voices heard, and we are denied, or we're questioned, or you feel shame, and that started to really get in my head of, how am I about to not put this in the documentary? … I realized, holy shit, I have so much more work to do, and I'm going to use my platform to hopefully inspire other people to come forward and tell their stories, because conversation is the only way that we're going to actually have change and we're going to make change.' MORE Best of Deadline 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery 'Stick' Soundtrack: All The Songs You'll Hear In The Apple TV+ Golf Series
