Gayle King is getting risqué in the morning news hour.
In a Tuesday interview for “CBS Mornings,” King gave “Call Her Daddy” podcast host Alex Cooper a taste of her own medicine with a not-suitable-for-work question in the middle of the segment.
“You’re a newlywed, you and Matt (Kaplan). It’ll be a year. So I’m curious to hear, what’s your favorite sex position with Matt?”
The 30-year-old chart-topping podcaster replied: “Oh my god, Gayle! Are we allowed to talk about that?” Co-anchor Nate Burleson chimed in: “Producers said ‘No!’ in my ear.”
King went on to clarify that she meant to highlight the private questions Cooper can get away with asking celebrities on her show.
“The reason why I’m doing that is I’m making a point here, because this is what Alex does on her show,” King said. “She gets Katy Perry to talk about her love language. You got Hailey Bieber to talk about her favorite sex position. Simone Biles about her mental health.”
She added, “I did that facetiously because I knew you wouldn’t answer. But the thing is, what amazes me about you is that you’re sitting in there in those hooded sweatshirts that make everybody comfortable. You ask these raunchy questions, sprinkled in with a lot of smart (ones) too. And I’m wondering what the method is to your madness. How you’re able to get people to talk. And I mean it as a compliment.”
Cooper, for her part, appeared to be only jokingly taken aback by King’s invasive question and appreciated the recognition of her interview style.
“It is a question we all want to know, but it’s asked in the appropriate way at the right time. I’m reading the room, I’m being self-aware. It’s not like I’m making someone uncomfortable,” she replied.
When asked about the origin story of her nearly seven-year-old podcast, Cooper explained, “‘Call Her Daddy,’ it was just like a reversal of ‘Why can men always be considered the daddy, the boss, the one with the money and the status? Why can’t we also be daddy?'”
King, an Emmy-winning journalist herself, responded: “You are a badass.”
Who is Alex Cooper?
The latest additions to Cooper’s media empire are two new SiriusXM channels that expand on her Unwell Network.
In just five years, Cooper went from talking about sex and relationships in her early 20s to being named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 (media) in 2022 with the help of her ever-growing listenership, aka the “Daddy Gang.” She left Barstool Sports after landing a three-year, $60 million deal with Spotify in 2021 and has landed lengthy interviews with the likes of Vice President Kamala Harris (which was met with some pushback), Miley Cyrus, Hailey Bieber and Jane Fonda.
She and Kaplan, who’s a film producer and founder of ACE Entertainment, started their Gen-Z-focused media venture, Trending, in 2023; it’s the parent company of Unwell Network, which hosts podcasts from Alix Earle, reality TV star Harry Jowsey and comedian Owen Thiele.
She boasts the title of being the most-listened female podcast in the world, often competing with “The Joe Rogan Experience” and The New York Times’ “The Daily” for the top spot on leading streaming platforms.
