Kriti Mehrotra
As a two-part documentary exploring what it took for Alexandra “Alex” Cooper to become the most influential female podcaster of a generation, Hulu’s ‘Call Me Daddy’ is simply intriguing. It actually follows the media mogul as she kicks off her first-ever tour and expands with record-breaking distribution deals, merchandise, and interviews, all the while opening up about her past. Therefore, it’s no surprise that her childhood best friend, Lauren McMullen, is extremely significant in the production, especially considering she is now her right-hand woman and producer.
Lauren McMullen and Alex Cooper Have Always Been Like Two Peas in a Pod
It was reportedly back in the early 2000s when Alex first came across Lauren McMullen in their hometown of Newtown, Pennsylvania, just for them to immediately form a connection. They were both in 2nd grade at the time, yet they met not at school but while playing soccer, unaware that their passion for this sport was merely one of the many things they had in common. They were both extroverts who loved making home videos of all kinds, resulting in them becoming a group of sorts alongside another friend they’d come to know thanks to soccer, Kristen Gatti.
The trio filmed a lot in Alex’s basement, often even having sleepovers during the weekends so that they would have enough time to do their detailed shoots – it was their outlet for everything. We specify “detailed shoots” because whether it be making music videos or recreating ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ scene-by-scene in its entirety, they did it all before continuing to hone this interest in different ways. However, things changed a little when they were in 7th grade since that’s when Lauren’s dad was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, so she wanted to help her family both emotionally and financially.
Lauren McMullen Considers the Coopers to be Her Family
According to Lauren’s own account, it was Alex’s loving mother, Laurie Cooper, who first noticed that something was amiss with the youngster and encouraged her to speak with a trained professional. As a therapist herself, the matriarch had noticed that Lauren’s familial situation had been weighing on her, driving her to do the best she could to help out without really interfering in her life or her friendship with Alex. This is to say that even though the girls slowly stopped making as many videos as they used to, they still played soccer and spent quality time together in different ways, which only strengthened their bond.
Lauren vividly remembers being at home on a break during her sophomore year at Tulane University when she had a gut feeling about her worst fears being realized while grocery shopping. Little did she know she would get a call about her father being found dead in his Louisiana home shortly thereafter, when she was still in the car after her mother had taken in their purchases. She knew she had to go inside her home to tell her brother and mother the news, but she was so lost and shattered that the first/only person she could think of calling was Laurie for some help. The latter nudged her, explaining the last few years of her life had been preparing her for this, and she was subsequently able to do what needed to be done.
Once this tragic news broke, Laurie, Alex, as well as the rest of the Cooper family, helped Lauren deal with grief in ways she never thought she needed, so of course, she considers them family. In fact, she credits the matriarch as one of her biggest inspirations — Laurie is partly the reason she decided to pursue a career as a licensed therapist. She thus attended Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, to earn her Bachelor’s, after which she relocated to New York and ultimately even moved in with Alex and Sofia Franklyn. By this point, her two roommates had already launched or were planning to launch a sex-positive podcast named ‘Call Her Daddy,’ meaning she has seen its progression from the get-go.
Lauren McMullen is Still Helping Others, Yet in a Different Way Than She Had Imagined
When Lauren was residing with Alex and Sofia, she was reportedly a full-time educator at the Teach For America non-profit organization, all the while also attending Columbia University. She was determined to earn her Psychology degree to evolve into a therapist for the young, hopeful about positively guiding them like other such professionals had done for her for years. However, by the time she graduated, it was undeniable that her best friend Alex was turning her now-solo ‘Call Her Daddy’ brand into more than a podcast – she was making it a community. Hence, inspired by this vision of the podcast being a safe space where females can talk about anything and everything, she got on board as a lead producer.
Little did Alex or Lauren know that her joining the team would take the podcast in an even more authentic direction because every idea was from a friendship mindset and not a business one. This translated extremely well, too, and ‘Call Her Daddy’ has since become a safe space for many because it openly covers dating, sex, relationships, and mental health issues without any shame. Therefore, it goes without saying that Lauren is extremely proud of not only being able to work with her best friend but also doing something that can bring about change and is extremely rewarding in every sense. Coming to Lauren’s individual standing, she continues to be Alex’s right-hand woman, the Head Producer at ‘Call Her Daddy’ podcast, and a key part of the latter’s most recent Unwell venture.
On a more personal level, even though she prefers to keep her experiences away from the limelight for privacy reasons, we do know she is close to her family, still misses her father, and is single. She actually broke off a 7-year relationship around the early 2020s, just before he was about to propose, as she had unfortunately fallen out of love and was unclear about what she wanted. She has since been working on herself to such an extent that she now knows she doesn’t need to rush into love, marriage, or a family; all she needs is someone who will care for and support her as she is, because her friends have shown her that this is what she deserves. In any case, she seems perfectly content with her life as of writing, which is all that matters in the long run.
Read More: Where is Sofia Franklyn Now? Update on Ex-Call Her Daddy Host
