Call Her Daddy - The Making of the Ariana Madix Episode

Episode Date: May 28, 2023

Join Alex on an exclusive behind-the-scenes journey into the making of the Ariana Madix episode on Call Her Daddy. In this solo Sunday episode Alex pulls back the curtain on her process from writing the interview to meeting Ariana for the first time. Be sure to WATCH this episode, not just listen, to follow along and get the entire experience. Enjoy!Call Her Daddy apparel is here. Shop at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠shop.callherdaddy.com

What is up daddy gang it is your founding father Alex Cooper with call her daddy. Hello daddy gang I'm gonna give you a little behind the scenes today I have a huge huge interview coming up and I realized that throughout the past couple years I don't really show you guys what I do in order to make an interview happen or an episode happen and how it comes to life. With interviews, there's so much that goes into it that you guys don't see. I have got a lot of people that have wanted to see the behind the scenes. I just got confirmation and locked in the date that I'm going to be interviewing Ariana Maddox for her first ever podcast regarding all of the Vanderpump drama

in two weeks. I'm very excited. I'm also like, I wouldn't say nervous, like the anticipation is building because I know so many fucking people want to hear Ariana speak as we should. She deserves to speak her truth and speak about what happened. But to be the first podcast, that's also a lot of pressure to make sure that this interview is fucking perfect and that I am prepped in a way that makes her feel comfortable and she can just do her thing. And I create a really good environment for her

to feel like she wants to open up and talk to me about something really personal that's going on in her life, even though the whole world knows about it. So I obviously saw all this drama going on. I used to watch Vanderpump Rules. I haven't watched it as often in the past few seasons just because I have like kind of fallen off.

But the minute that this drama started, I did tune back in. The goal is obviously to have Ariana on. So I had my team reach out. And as we reached out, their team also was reaching out. So it worked out perfectly. They were like, we want Call Her Daddy to be the exclusive podcast that Ariana goes on. We were like, we would love that. We want to only have

her on as well. In two weeks, I'm going to be recording this podcast with Ariana on a Monday, and we will be turning it around and putting it out on that Tuesday. That's not normal for me whatsoever. I usually like to record a week in advance that way we have time to edit make promos tick tocks social assets all the things but this one's gonna be more of a record and upload and don't really edit it and i think that's probably for the best because i don't really want to edit her at all i think what she's going to say is what she's going to say but again i just want to humanize her like this is her personal life she is a reality star but i think the importance of this episode for me is to make sure that we're respectful of the fact that like this person just went through an extreme

heartbreak and it's very public so come join me as we get ready for ariana maddox to talk about all of the cheating scandal that has quite literally taken over the world. So my booking team was speaking to her booking team and my publicist was speaking to her publicist. I didn't want to have Ariana on if we had to release it after the reunion. I always try to think of myself like as a consumer, you're like, there's going to be three fucking episodes of this reunion. I'm sure we'll have gotten it all. But to all of your credit, everyone was like, yeah, but Alex, I feel like the reunion is not gonna be a place where she's gonna be able to speak openly and vulnerably and emotionally.

And boys. Let's go upstairs, come on, come on. So my point was, I never want to do an episode that's like, we fucking know Alex. We saw all the drama. I hopefully pride the show on constantly being in the zeitgeist, at the top of relevancy. When you want to hear about something, Call Her Daddy is going to talk about it. And all of you were like, yeah, you fucking bitch. Have her on.

Like, what the fuck? Thousands of yeah, you fucking bitch have her on. Like what the fuck? Thousands of people being like, absolutely have her on. Even when I've released guests recently in the comments of the new guests or the episode, they're like, but where's Ariana? This is going to come out literally the night before the reunion night. I need to start conceptualizing, like, what do I want this interview to be. We're gonna start brainstorming questions. We have not gotten screeners for the reunion. They don't have currently the full edit yet so by the time we record with Ariana we may have seen the first part of the reunion but I won't have seen the whole reunion. Which I don't think is that big of a deal because I can still just ask Ariana

everything about how she's feeling. The reunion was filmed a month ago. Ariana has been seen with a new guy. Like the first step of how this usually starts is I will get on with the my team that works at Call Her Daddy and I will basically pitch to these two team members like what I envision the episode being and what I want to focus on and then they take notes on everything I'm saying and they'll transcribe it and they'll start formatting what I said for now. I'm just going to word vomit everything that I'm thinking of that I want to ask her that I want it to be about.

And then after this zoom, I will start watching the show and taking notes on like what I see from this season. And then we'll get back on after all that is transcribed they'll build out more of my thoughts they'll write more questions of their own that they like and then we'll sit and we'll strategize and we will continue to workshop the interview and then it's game time we immediately have to get into the drama i want to make sure that we're structuring this in a way that someone that has no fucking idea about this

drama as universal and global as it's become it is still like weirdly kind of niche like if i'm asking certain people some people are like i think i saw that in like the new york times but like i didn't read the piece because like i don't know about that shit so when we start the interview i think we have to first lay out who she is we need her to tell the full story your partner you found out was having an affair with one of your friends that is like a universal theme that we don't even need to explain too much yet let's go to the beginning walk us through who gave you the phone can you tell us what you saw on the phone the storytelling of this will be the biggest part and it should immediately basically be the first thing that we're talking about like i think we have to get

that granular with it because it will then infuse more of a personal interest into the story. I think Raquel, this is one of her best friends. So this is a whole different level of betrayal. We wouldn't even focus on her if they weren't friends. Apparently, and it's still a rumor that Ariana and Tom got together because Tom cheated on his previous girlfriend. Oh, so did Tom cheat

on Kristen to then be with Ariana? And it's the classic, like, well, you lose them how you got them. Like he cheated on his ex to be with you. Still need to ask about that. Cause that's something like I would want to know. So obviously viewers want to know her mental health about how she's feeling about how she also feels. this has to be a whole section write this down this has to be a whole section about the internet partaking in a traumatic event that just happened in her life i want to talk about how many of her cast mates are publicly speaking on this i think every single cast mate has gone on like 10 fucking podcasts but we also need to infuse interest in like, who is Ariana? The structure is going to be different than most interviews because we're going like backwards. Like I want

to start with the story because I think that's where immediately people will connect. And so I think we just need to outline and start from there. We have two weeks, take these notes, put it in a document, outline, storytell, and then we can start to carve out like the actual details of like, that's like the base outline and the themes. Of course, everyone! Good people.

Good people. What a job. It is. Okay, guys, we are officially one week out from the interview. We've done a lot of research and we've started formulating the questions for the entire interview. Today, I'm heading into the office to Zoom with someone from my team so that we can write the intro to the episode and then continue working on the questions to make the episode the best that it can be.

So let's go to the office okay yeah delete this so it will say vanderpump rules is a reality tv show the show just wrapped its 10th season no we don't need all this they bought a house together and it was everyone's worst nightmare no it's everyone's worst nightmare or some bitch off instagram let's maybe not say some bitch or some chick off Instagram. The cast already shot are steadily airing in the background. I don't like that line. This or this this affair this affair has been happening or we could just say this affair has been secretly happening the entire time season 10 was being filmed and no one knew but now the news has leaked and the season is maybe we don't even say and the season is still airing no it

won't be by the time we upload this but now the news has leaked so after the video when you saw when you were watching this video once you saw this video what did you do next like cheating is so it's it's such a violation and betrayal and disgusting feeling you get over yourself when when you realize something like this was your anger in the immediate moment equal towards them both? We need to understand what that conversation was like because it seems like he can potentially be like a gaslighter. I feel like then we have to move this up more into their relationship. After the did you ever consider not telling anyone? There were numerous comments from your castmates about the dynamic of your relationship. I think that we should ask her point blank after this.

Did you ever turn a blind eye? We're definitely getting there. So it is the night before I interview Ariana. I've been pretty stressed out about this interview. I've worked on it. I've thought about it. I've thought pretty stressed out about this interview I've worked on it I've thought about it I've thought like a lot I've literally went to a bridal shower today when I told everyone I was interviewing this person that everyone was freaking out so excited my last almost edit to myself for tomorrow as I head into this interview is I obviously have my questions of where I want to go I think with it but my gut is telling me

that this conversation is gonna probably be best if I put my interview cards down and yes I can try to like go based off of what I thought would be the best format but I think it's almost gonna be best if I treat this like I'm talking to a girlfriend post her finding out she got cheated on call her daddy has so many people that go back and listen to episodes three years later two years later and it's the themes that are universal in this situation that I'm realizing like I know a lot of my listeners and viewers don't watch Vanderpump Rules and they just have seen like the light headlines as much as I'm involved in this drama I'm because I've watched all of it I'm realizing this literally looks like I'm in a garden okay tomorrow in this interview it's almost like very

important for me to focus more on the themes cheating betrayal, a broken friendship, distance, secrets. Every time I'm discussing something with her, we're actually really just getting underneath the themes and the feelings and the hurt like I've been cheated on. So it's like talking as if we're girlfriends so that other people can feel like they can relate to this story. It's more about how we speak about it which will probably be the most emotional conversation she's had to date because a lot of the shit that she's done is like 10 minutes on air and you're out and so that doesn't allow for you to actually elicit any real long-form emotion and like connecting things and having like a natural human discussion that like can go anywhere i care most about the daddy gang and so as an interviewer how do I make

Ariana feel so comfortable and and help her do the best interview she can do? Number two how do I fulfill the audience that maybe listens or doesn't listen to Call Her Daddy which is like the people that are obsessed with Vanderpump and want all the tea and then number three and most importantly how do I fulfill the daddy gang that doesn't watch any of this shit and doesn't care everyone's been cheated on everyone's been backstabbed by a friend everyone has had issues with a partner and that is the crux of the interview is making it a universal topic and talking to Ariana in ways that we can all relate to and we've all been there and then this episode can live forever don't get into the weeds focus on the facts someone was betrayed she done there was an affair with the best friend. Good morning.

It is the morning of the Ariana interview. I'm really excited. I don't usually do interviews this late in the day, so I'm going to just be sitting around waiting. Hi, guys. I don't usually do interviews this late in the day, so I'm gonna just be like sitting around waiting, but... Hi guys, it's the day of the interview and going over questions right now. We're reconstructing the entire fucking thing. This is my pre-interview meal usually always. Really?

Yeah. A bacon egg and cheese with pro tip cream cheese. It's so good. You can never go back. You can never go back. I was nervous at first. If something's getting over publicized, like that's my, our nightmare. Like we want to make sure that we're doing things that

like haven't been covered but i do think we're gonna get a very different take from her thank fucking god i watched this season because i feel like i'm like i could put my fucking cards down and be like let's go i can talk about the whole fucking thing what was it like listening to try and justify oh that was something that people said at the bridal shower that I was at yesterday a lot of the women Were frustrated of like I think it's like the most easy cop out when men Say that they weren't like having sex as if it was just ariana's fault And I think that's like such a trigger for women It's so weak because it's like we but why weren't we having sex like like they always use it as this like easy excuse of like but we weren't we didn't have a connection

why don't blame it on her there was a reason she wasn't having sex with you because you were gone every night you were on drugs you were out she couldn't find you she'd check your ipad like i wouldn't want to fuck you either maybe start acting right and then you guys will have sex blaming her on like he's lost his mojo like It's 12 And she's coming at 2 30 Crunch time the day of when i'm actually picturing myself saying these things out loud usually

You kind of do an overhaul of the document and you're like I would never say that or like we need to follow up here Also a lot of deleting things. Cause I'm like, I don't need to have that written down. I know that's where I want to go. This is such a weird interview because there's so much that keeps coming out. So just being, making sure we're up to date

and everything's relevant. If she's talked about something too much, we don't need to go there. Sen's been revealed that he got you both into couple therapy as part of his eventual plan to end the relationship you said you hadn't considered ending the relationship before all this came out were you truly happy in that relationship i keep feeling like i have to to nervous shit my pants. Pause. Aaron's like, oh my god, stop. It's the truth. I get, like, the jitters before interviews where I'm like, oh my god, like, do I have to shit?

I also feel like I really need to, like, get my hair to be a little less, like, curled. Right, like, I can look nice. Yeah, you can look nice. Right, like, my, like, watch the Daddy Games. Like, Alex,lex like we're losing you like you curled your hair for this interview like they're not gonna say that let me give people also this behind the scenes so i spoke to my lawyers over the weekend because we were asking to see the reunion first at least the first episode of the reunion what happened like

what was the energy whatever and so my lawyers called me and they were like so you can watch the reunion they'll send it to you in embargo which means like they'll send it to me watermarked no one can watch it except for myself if i was watching it but the issue they told me was if you want to see this you have to sign something and you would be um on the line for at least a million dollars if you interview Ariana and anything from the reunion is lightly talked about in this episode like what yeah so basically I wanted to see the episode but then I was like what I realized is fuck that I didn't want to watch the reunion because what I knew is I want to ask her about the reunion but if I if I

clicked open on that tab and anything I asked her even remotely seemed like she knew that because she watched it I was getting sued for a million dollars so I was like you know what I'm gonna bank on myself being good enough at my job that now I have a clear conscience of like I can ask anything about the reunion that I want and everyone will know it legally like I never even saw the reunion so it was just me asking and like you can't sue me so now I'm hoping it's like someone on their team could watch it and be like has she watched the reunion these questions are like insane and it's like no I didn't we didn't watch the reunion but I'm excited to watch it. But no, we don't know anything. This is a 10-page interview.

What is the longest amount that we've ever had? I don't know. This is just note card-wise, 15 note cards. This one could be 25. I'm going to have a thick stack. I'm like, welcome, Ariana. Also new merch. New preview.

Yeah, I think this is good. Yeah, it looks adorable. Oh, I think this is good. Yeah Mama Sit get ready with me Yes, apparently Ariana Requested some rosé So it's TBD if we're gonna be also getting fucked up during this interview.

We both start crying and get so emotional. Woo! Ariana, welcome to Call Her Daddy. I have a pimple, of course. Here we go, we're going up to the studio. Let's go. Also, I love how like completely changed the lighting like just before this interview like let's fingers crossed that wow this feels great welcome to the

new space i never wear mascara in interviews really some i do and i feel like every time i do mascara i clearly am doing something wrong because by the end of every fucking interview, my mascara is down my base. But I just looked at myself on camera and it looks like I'm asleep. So I think I guess I have to go with, I would rather look awake than asleep. And that's just the tea.

I also never wear eyeliner, but apparently they just new lighting. Like I don't really look like I'm with it. Since the last interview, we've changed the chairs, the lighting. Oh my God. Like it's totally different. Yeah.

Again. You're so right. No, since the last interview, we've literally changed the lighting. The color of the chairs used to be orange and we've changed some of the things on the set in the uh like in the background yeah in the background it's a whole new world come on aaron let's go all right now let's see what we look like can you explain though how the past few months, what the past few months

have been like for you? This is your life. This was your relationship. So let's get into it. Why are they justarazzi back yeah they're like running oh my gosh what's crazy about today is they've been going like in driveways whereas usually they'll like right on the street and then they like don't today they've been like in driveways i feel like it got worse okay over the last yeah it's the photo you posted today oh yeah yeah you're such like a normal person that's going through the whole world it's so weird it's like dude i have so many questions i've only ever seen it like on tick to you know what I mean? That's why I was like- So like IRL, it's so cute.

It's cute, right? It's cozy. Should we pour? Yeah. Let's pour some. Let's pour some. Sometimes I feel like maybe we'll set something up where it's actually like a good time, like a good day to do it.

Here obviously you have like details that people want, but I also know there's people that don't know all the drama. So I'm like, we don't need to get too in the weeds of like let's close the door should we have more roses yeah can we have a little bit yeah let's let's pour more well cheers thanks for having me so fun so fun we did it we did it that wasn't that bad no dude no i feel like i'm like talking to a girlfriend about something that's so fucking awful love you love you bye i'm gonna pee my pants i'll be right back oh my god i just opened my phone

and the first dm If alex cooper has ariana maddox on call her daddy. I will actually die dead death. Goodbye If ariana comes on your show i'm dead. Well, we definitely give the people what they want. There were so many things that I Before the interview had doubts on of like why the fuck What this doesn't make sense and then her being like you have to understand like you're hearing parts of this but like then he said he tried to break up with me no we had a deep conversation and then he took me out for valentine's day brought me fucking flowers like she connected things of like the ups and downs of a nine-year relationship you start to

be like of course that like you don't even like everything she said made sense And I think for fans of this whole drama, I think they're gonna be happy Please text me cuz I'm gonna be probably up all night and ask me any questions when you're looking through this footage Okay, we got this. Please text me. We're gonna kill this get yourself a coffee. I'm up Let's go baby we did it daddy gang's like screaming at me we posted a teaser on caller daddy and daddy gang you know i'm usually posting like a blurred photo of the person and then putting like wednesday over it so you can like kind of guess this is all I posted and so everyone's like where's the blurred photo give us a chance to guess and then I just posted this which at the

end is just a it ends with just a blank picture of the seat because I'm like this is the thing about color daddy everyone knows we're always gonna like go for it and i'm seeing people being like ew is she gonna have fucking tom sandoval on maybe no maybe that's what i will say number one i know we all watch reality tv for drama and like fun and it's like whatever but meeting her ariana is truly i would say one of the sweetest most normal people i've had in the studio like actually felt like she was like my middle school best friend that i'm like i want to like protect you i literally offered her to live in my guest house did you hear me outside i was like do you need a place to live like seriously you never know and i think what i really loved is when she dispelled the concept of like this isn't fake

this is my life but what I will say is I think there was a lot of new information that I think is really hard to get new information at this point in the game the New York fucking times has written about this CNN like everyone has done something on this and this is the first long form interview she did and we definitely got more information so that's a win i'm tired i'm fucking tired i want to go eat i like that no one knows where the call her daddy studio is this actually happened one more time with hayley bieber but it was at the different studio and i didn't go outside because i did i saw paparazzi i didn't see the paparazzi at first then i was like well here we go here we. So you know what? It's all good. But overall, I think it's a 10 out of 10.

Like then we're on to the next week. This is why also this business, and I think it's important to share this with the Daddy Gang. By the time everyone watches this, I will be on to the next episode. And that's like the fun, but also kind of unforgiving part of this industry is like I don't even get to pause to like go through

what you guys are going through, which is watch it. Like I'm producing the next thing, which is like the next interview tomorrow. So I'm excited that I get to like give this to everyone, but like we're onto the next. This Scandaval scandal is hereby over. Go watch Call Her Daddy. It's a great fucking interview.

Okay, Illy. On to the next, next, next. Outro Music