By Mary Kate Krueger
Call Her Daddy is a top podcast for women hosted by Alexandra Cooper. The podcast initially discussed sexual advice and relationship health but now puts celebrities and media figures in the hot seat. Recent podcast episodes have included content creator Remi Bader, former Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman, and former reality TV star Stassi Schroeder.
Call Her Daddy is a podcast covering topics such as sexuality and pop culture. It should not be used to promote either presidential candidate, especially in the final stretch of the election.
It was surprising to see that on Oct. 6, Kamala Harris was a guest on the popular podcast Call Her Daddy in an episode titled “Vice President Kamala Harris,” where they discussed many issues, such as Trump’s lies, abortion, and how to make this country safer for women.
Specific podcast titles recently have been titled “Blow Jobs, Hall Passes, & Frat Daddies,” “My Partner Is Giving Me The Ick,” or even “My Revenge Porn Experience.”
Given the context of Call Her Daddy, this podcast is no platform for young voters to collect political information to sway them in voting decisions.
At the beginning of the podcast, Alex Cooper said, “Since this isn’t a one-sided conversation, we reached out to former president Donald Trump to come on the show. If he also wants to have a meaningful, in-depth conversation about women’s rights in this country, then he is welcome on Call Her Daddy anytime.”
While an appearance of Donald J. Trump on the podcast could have made an unbiased response to this issue, he did not make an appearance. Therefore, having only Harris on the podcast can be viewed as a form of propaganda for the Democratic Party. Likewise, the appearance of Trump on the podcast and the absence of Harris could be viewed as a form of Republican propaganda in modern-day media.
Although this podcast episode faced both criticism and praise — one question remains: Why are we placing politicians expected to run our country on a podcast that once gave sex advice to young listeners?
The main topics discussed in the podcast were abortions and women’s rights, which is one of the most popular voting points in the upcoming election.
According to USA Today, women under 30 years old are more likely to vote liberal than previous generations, and Harris is leading 70% of these voters. Likewise, according to ABC News, “abortion has emerged as the most important issue in the November election for women under 30” years old.
While these are important issues to discuss, especially on a platform catered to a younger audience, a politician appearing on a platform known for casual or even controversial content undermines the politician’s credibility and undermines the seriousness of the issues being discussed.
While undermining the credibility of Harris, her appearance on this podcast also struck controversies in the media over whether Harris was addressing real-world problems in the U.S. or going on a podcast to sway young voters in the form of political propaganda.
Alex Cooper lost many followers after having Harris appear on the podcast. Data from the social media tracking site Social Blade showed that Cooper lost 5,000 followers on her Instagram account and 3,302 followers from her podcast’s Instagram account.
Here’s the problem: Harris is not an entertainer, reality TV star, or media personality, so why is she appearing on podcasts reserved exclusively for them?
Regardless of whether it was Trump or Harris on the podcast, Call Her Daddy is known for its focus on celebrity gossip and sexuality; the podcast should avoid promoting propaganda on either side as the election nears its final stages.