Overview of Not Skinny But Not Fat with Sofia Franklyn
Amanda Hirsch sits down with Sofia Franklyn to discuss her memoir Daddy Issues, which finally tells her side of the Call Her Daddy breakup six years after the public fallout. The conversation goes beyond the Barstool drama and traces Sofia’s life from a chaotic upbringing in Utah, through her rise in podcasting, to the emotional and legal fallout that shaped her career. The episode is equal parts insider industry breakdown, personal healing story, and “where were you really coming from?” clarification for one of podcasting’s most infamous splits.
Sofia’s Memoir and Why She Wrote It Now
Why she waited six years
- Sofia says she needed distance from the Call Her Daddy saga so she could write from a place that was honest, not vengeful.
- She wanted to avoid writing a book fueled by anger or a need to “prove people right.”
- The memoir became a way to finally reclaim her version of events.
What the book represents
- Sofia describes the book as cathartic, healing, and scary all at once.
- She says it’s the most passionate she has felt about a project since Call Her Daddy.
- Amanda repeatedly praises the writing, saying it is vivid, emotionally strong, and hard to put down.
Her Background: “Daddy Issues” Beyond the Podcast Title
Growing up in Utah
- Sofia talks about being raised in Utah without really knowing her biological father.
- Her mother got pregnant young, and Sofia grew up with a complicated family structure.
- She explains that the title Daddy Issues refers to:
- her biological father,
- her stepdad Tom, who raised her,
- and the Call Her Daddy chapter of her life.
Reconnecting with her biological father
- In a surprising twist, Sofia says she had to reconnect with her biological father for Italian citizenship purposes.
- She reveals that while writing the memoir, she was also speaking to him for the first time in years.
- She even had to do a DNA test in Ibiza to prove paternity.
The “real deal” upbringing
- Amanda and Sofia discuss how Sofia’s early life shaped the authenticity people connected with on the original podcast.
- The book covers:
- drugs,
- sex,
- friendships,
- and the messy, unfiltered life that later became part of her public persona.
How Call Her Daddy Started
From finance to podcasting
- Sofia worked in finance and hated it.
- She listened to podcasts constantly at her desk and already understood the medium.
- She moved to New York, lived with her aunt, and worked a corporate job before meeting Alex Cooper.
Meeting Alex Cooper
- Sofia met Alex through a roommate situation and they connected quickly.
- They moved in together and signed a lease the same day they apartment-hunted.
- Sofia says their chemistry was immediate, especially when going out and being funny together.
Early content creation
- Alex initially suggested doing a YouTube show.
- Sofia says she had no major entertainment dreams growing up, but she did want success.
- Podcasting became the lane where her voice and stories fit naturally.
The Barstool Rise and the Fallout
Entering Barstool
- Alex got connected to Dave Portnoy after being messaged on social media.
- Sofia describes Barstool as a massive culture shock after finance:
- rowdy,
- alcohol-soaked,
- chaotic,
- and very different from corporate life.
- Despite the insanity, she says it felt like she had made it.
Why the show worked
- Sofia believes she was the one bringing the deeper, wilder stories.
- Amanda notes that Sofia’s authenticity was a huge part of the appeal of the early show.
- Sofia agrees that Alex had fun stories too, but says her own life experiences were more extensive.
The contract battle
- A major chunk of the interview focuses on the renegotiation with Barstool.
- Sofia says she and Alex both originally wanted better terms and believed they had leverage.
- The issue was not simply “stay or go,” but the deal structure, ownership, and IP control.
- Sofia emphasizes that she did not “walk away” from the show—she was cut out.
What changed with Alex
- Sofia says the friendship began to break when Alex made a separate deal behind her back.
- She felt blindsided and says she never got the full, honest conversation she needed.
- She believes the friendship may have been real to Alex in a different way than it was to her.
The Public Narrative and Why It Hurt
The “Unwell” moment
- Sofia discusses the now-iconic “Unwell” post and how it became a symbol of the split.
- She says the phrase became huge, while her role in that moment was often minimized.
- Amanda points out how absurd it is that a phrase tied to a personal email became a brand-defining cultural moment.
Being blamed publicly
- Sofia says the public often framed her as:
- greedy,
- fame-driven,
- or manipulated by men behind the scenes.
- She addresses the way Peter became the scapegoat in the story.
- She also discusses how Alex’s video helped shape the narrative against her.
The emotional cost
- Sofia describes the whole experience as devastating and surreal.
- She says the memoir helped her realize that she no longer needs to compete with Alex’s success.
- That realization felt like a relief, not a defeat.
How She Sees It Now
Zero regrets
- One of Sofia’s strongest statements in the interview is that she has zero regrets about how she handled the situation.
- She admits she might have handled certain legal or business pieces differently, but not the core truth of what happened.
- She believes the fallout was inevitable in some form.
Freedom from competition
- Sofia says she used to feel pressured to match Alex’s rise.
- Writing the memoir allowed her to stop competing and focus on her own path.
- She frames that as a major emotional turning point.
Future plans
- Sofia says she’d love for the book to become a movie or TV series.
- She also says she wants a calmer, more domestic future:
- gardening,
- cooking,
- home decor,
- candle-making,
- being “wifey,”
- and having a baby.
- She says she wants to move into a new chapter that is not defined by the old drama.
Key Takeaways
- Daddy Issues is both a memoir and a reclamation of Sofia Franklyn’s voice.
- The interview frames the Call Her Daddy split as more than a business dispute—it was also a deeply personal betrayal.
- Sofia comes across as reflective rather than bitter, insisting that the book is about truth, not revenge.
- Amanda strongly supports the book and encourages listeners to read it for the full story, especially the prologue.
- The biggest emotional shift for Sofia is that she no longer feels the need to win against Alex—she just wants to tell her story and move on.
Bottom Line
This episode is a deep dive into Sofia Franklyn’s life, career, and the infamous Call Her Daddy breakup, but it’s also about identity, family wounds, and taking back control of your own narrative. If you want the full context behind the memoir and the breakup that shook podcasting, this is the conversation to hear.