'This Generation's Oprah' Looks to Expand Her Monopoly

WSJ looks at Alex Cooper's new media company and the brands watching her influence
By Gina Carey,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 14, 2024 2:10 PM CDT
'This Generation's Oprah' Looks to Expand Her Monopoly
Social media influencer and podcaster Alex Cooper adjusts her sunglasses while preparing to deliver the ceremonial first pitch at Fenway Park, Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in Boston.   (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

With an average of 10 million listeners per episode, the Call Her Daddy podcast is a blockbuster in the space, bringing in $60 million over a three-year deal with Spotify. Host Alex Cooper, who's 29, is expanding her horizons to capitalize on the influence and attention she has over Gen Z through a new media company, Trending. "She's this generation's Oprah Winfrey," president of NBC Olympics Molly Solomon tells Sara Ashley O'Brien of the Wall Street Journal in an extensive piece on the growing mogul. While comparisons to Oprah can't be taken lightly, brands like NBC have been watching Cooper as an in to a generation more glued to their phones than traditional media.

O'Brien peers into this fandom, attracted by Cooper's raw, raunchy persona. She's sold out shows at Madison Square Garden, but also brings the crowds to venues like Fenway Park, where she threw out the first pitch at a June Red Sox game. Nearly three-quarters of the crowd that night were women. "It shows the power of her brand," says Travis Pollio, the Sox's director of ticket strategy and promotion. Trending looks to expand on Cooper's influence by bringing in young talent, largely from TikTok, while also developing film and television (the sweet sauce for husband and Trending co-owner Matt Kaplan, whose background is in film). "I just compete with myself in a healthy way," Cooper says of carving out her role. "I don't think there is anyone that I would want to be compared to or that I see doing exactly what I want to be doing." Read O'Brien's piece in full. (And more Longforms.)

Stories to sink your teeth into.
Get our roundup of longform stories every Saturday.
Sign up
Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X