Kamala Harris is betting big on Gen Z.
With the U.S. Presidential election fast approaching on Nov. 5, Harris has been on a media blitz, appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Howard Stern Show, CBS News, and more. Harris’ Call Her Daddy episode, hosted by Alex Cooper, aired on Oct. 6 and featured discussion of women’s treatment in the United States of America. Harris spoke to Cooper’s audience, known as “Daddy Gang,” about topics like abortion, her past as a prosecutor specializing in sexual assault cases, and economic freedom for women.
This collaboration came as surprising for some. Call Her Daddy gained popularity as a raunchy, sex-focused podcast known for segments like the “Gluck Gluck 9000.” Originally launched in 2018 by Alex Cooper and Sofia Franklyn through Barstool Sports, the show featured unapologetic, humorous discussions about sex—conversations typically dominated by male podcasts. Given this reputation, it initially seemed like an odd choice for Harris to appear on the show.
However, since Franklyn’s departure in 2020 and Cooper’s move of the podcast from Barstool Sports to Spotify, Call Her Daddy has evolved. The show experienced a tonal shift and appears to have progressed from its shallow origins to a mature cultural hub that discusses women’s issues and hosts nuanced conversations regarding sex, relationships, mental health, and more. Other celebrities who have been on the podcast include Miley Cyrus, Gwenyth Paltrow, and Katy Perry.
Many people, including myself, wondered why Harris would choose to appear on a platform like Call Her Daddy. This controversial interview choice is giving right-wing haters more reason to look down on Harris, as the podcast is often viewed as silly and trivial, because of its prior inappropriate conversation style surrounding women.
Despite objections, Call Her Daddy is currently the most listened to podcast on Spotify and among the top five podcasts with the most female listeners in the U.S. By interacting with Cooper’s Daddy Gang, Harris is exposing herself to Gen Z and Millennial women, giving her the opportunity to promote herself to young voters.
Harris’s opponent, Donald Trump, has used a similar strategy by appearing on the Full Send podcast, produced by the NELK Boys, a right-wing YouTube and entertainment group targeted towards young boys. Trump has appeared on their show multiple times, and their friendship has extended to watching UFC fights together. Through the NELK Boys, Trump reached an audience of young men typically uninterested in politics, but now exposed and encouraged to his “Make America Great Again” campaign.
Harris may be using a comparable approach by appearing on Call Her Daddy to connect with younger generations, recognizing that women tend to vote more left-leaning and democratic than men.
During the interview, Cooper stated on the episode that Call Her Daddy “is rooted in ing women, talking about women, and lifting women up.” Cooper and Harris discussed many different issues, but mainly stayed rooted on the focus of women, like abortion laws and Roe v. Wade.
“I was the first Vice President or President to ever, in office, go to a reproductive health care clinic ever,” Harris stated during the podcast. This surprising ission positioned her as a symbol of hope regarding true understanding for women’s issues and reproductive health in office.
While it was an interesting choice of collaboration and could lead to divisive opinions, Harris and Cooper had an eloquent—if somewhat surface level—conversation about the future of women in the U.S. Harris has successfully positioned herself as a prominent figure on one of the world’s largest podcasts, with a predominantly female audience.
Through her appearance on the podcast, Harris has shown her for and acceptance of women of all ages. Going on Call Her Daddy, and formally addressing the “Daddy Gang,” may be a smarter move than initially assumed, offering valuable exposure to younger women voters as she heads in the 2024 election.
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