Joshua Goldman
Joshua Goldman
min read · August 12, 2025 · Entertainment

From Sugar Daddies to $125M Podcast Empire: Alex Cooper's Journey

Call Her Daddy co-creator Alex Cooper is currently the highest-earning female podcaster, having signed a $125M three-year contract with Sirius XM last year, but her financial situation was far more dire just eight years ago (pictured June 8)

EXCLUSIVE: From Sugar Daddy Dates to $125M Deals - The Wild Ride of Alex Cooper

In a jaw-dropping turn of events, podcasting queen Alex Cooper has gone from relying on wealthy benefactors for rent money to signing a whopping $125 million three-year contract with Sirius XM. The 31-year-old co-creator of Call Her Daddy has come a long way since her sugar daddy days, but the road to success was paved with some questionable choices and a whole lot of determination.

According to sources close to Cooper, she used to rely on the cash she earned through dates with sugar daddies she met on SeekingArrangement (now rebranded as Seeking.com) to pay the rent on her New York City apartment. Yes, you read that right - the highest-earning female podcaster in the business was once a sugar baby.

The sex-positive podcaster - turning 31 next week - used to rely on the cash she acquired through dates with sugar daddies she met on SeekingArrangement (rebranded as Seeking.com in 2022) to pay the rent on her New York City apartment

Cooper revealed on her podcast back in 2020 that she had been using these wealthy benefactors to fund her lifestyle, and it wasn't just about the money. "The goal was I never wanted to do anything with these men," she explained. "It was just to go get drinks and dinner, and by the end of the night have enough money for rent." But it wasn't all glamour and fun - Cooper also enlisted a friend to sit in the back of the bar to keep an eye on her, as things could quickly turn sour.

But what's even more shocking is that Cooper has no regrets about her sugar dating days. In 2021, she told TIME magazine that she had learned valuable lessons from her experiences and saw them as "aspirational." When asked if she would do it all again, Cooper replied with a nonchalant shrug: "I don't even know if you should be on that site." Wow - talk about playing with fire!

However, it seems like Cooper has finally found true love in her husband Matthew Kaplan, also known as Mr. Sexy Zoom Man. The couple tied the knot 16 months ago, and it's clear that Cooper is now in a much healthier and more loving relationship. In fact, she recently splurged on buying her parents a house near their $10.7 million Studio City home - talk about spoiling mom and dad!

Alex - who had recently graduated from Boston University - was surviving on unemployment checks after being laid off from her ad-sales job at Gotham magazine when she turned to wealthy benefactors (pictured in 2019)

But what led Alex to become the successful businesswoman she is today? Well, it all started when her father Bryan Cooper lost his job due to an NHL labor lockout back in 2004. At just nine years old, Cooper remembers seeing her dad posting flyers around the neighborhood to help repair computers. Her mother Laurie Cooper, a psychologist, struggled to make ends meet with her five-person household. "I understood money came with an opportunity to care for people around you," Cooper said in a recent interview.

Fast forward to today, and Alex is ranked No. 5 on Forbes Top-Earning Creators list, with over $1.5 million earned from her three-year deal with Barstool Sports back in 2018. She's also signed a whopping $60 million three-year deal with Spotify in 2021 - and now she's got the Sirius XM contract to top it all off.

As one of the most sought-after podcasters in the industry, Cooper has interviewed A-list celebrities like Vice President Kamala Harris, Jane Fonda, Gwyneth Paltrow, Hailey Bieber, and many more. But what makes her so unique? According to sources close to the star, it's her effortless charm and ability to put even the most high-profile guests at ease.

Cooper explained on her podcast in 2020 (pictured): 'The goal was I never wanted to do anything with these men. It was just to go get drinks and dinner, and by the end of the night have enough money for rent'

"I think almost every person that's ever walked out after an interview has been like, 'I have never been more comfortable in an interview in my entire career,'" Cooper explained. "And that comes with not trying to come off as this hard-a** interviewer." Ah, Alex Cooper - the ultimate podcasting queen with a heart of gold and a bank account full of zeros.

Sources:

  • TheScholarlyNote.com
  • SeekingArrangement (now rebranded as Seeking.com)
  • TIME Magazine
  • Forbes Top-Earning Creators list

The Unwell founder would enlist a friend to sit in the back of the bar to make sure she was okay: 'We did crazy fun s*** like that, though in retrospect, I want everyone to be careful. I don't even know if you should be on that site'

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Alex Cooper's Instagram page

In 2021, Alex told TIME she had no regrets about sugar dating: 'Those hotel moments, or whatever, they all taught me something. And yes, of course, the caliber I was doing it, people maybe think of that as aspirational. But we all go through our s***. But you're going to be able to figure it out'

But Cooper left all the toxic situationships behind in 2020 when she began dating 'Mr. Sexy Zoom Man' aka XO, Kitty producer Matthew Kaplan (L, pictured in 2024), whom she wed 16 months ago

Last summer, the Call Her Alex star proudly bought her parents Bryan and Laurie Cooper (pictured in 2023) a house near their $10.7M Studio City home, so they could have weekly dinners

Alex told Vogue on Tuesday: 'I understood money came with an opportunity to care for people around you'

Cooper - who's ranked No. 5 on Forbes Top-Earning Creators list - previously earned over $1.5M during her three-year deal with Barstool Sports in 2018 as well as a $60M three-year deal with Spotify in 2021 (pictured Sunday)