Alex Cooper is currently a media titan, a woman who basically pioneered the modern "audio influencer" blueprint. She’s married to Matt Kaplan now, living that high-production-value Hollywood life. But before the $100 million deals and the Vogue-covered weddings, there was a different era. The "Slim Shady" era.
If you’ve listened to Call Her Daddy since the early days, you know exactly who that refers to. For the uninitiated: it’s Noah Syndergaard.
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The relationship between the podcasting queen and the former New York Mets ace wasn’t just a blip; it was the catalyst for some of the most raw, unfiltered content Cooper ever produced. It was messy. It was public. Honestly, it was a little bit "dark," as Alex herself eventually admitted.
The Courtside Debut and the "Slim Shady" Code
April 2017. That’s when the world first saw them. Alex was still a senior at Boston University, a D1 soccer player with a nascent career in sports media. Noah Syndergaard was "Thor," the flamethrowing pitcher for the Mets who looked like he’d stepped out of a Norse myth. They were spotted courtside at a Knicks game, looking every bit the New York power couple.
But the public image was a far cry from the internal reality Alex later shared on her show.
In the podcast’s lore, Syndergaard became "Slim Shady." The nickname wasn't just a random Eminem reference; it was a shield. At the time, Alex and her former co-host, Sofia Franklyn, used pseudonyms for every man they discussed to avoid legal trouble or direct retaliation. Syndergaard’s identity was the worst-kept secret in Manhattan, but the stories Alex told under that alias were harrowing for fans to hear.
She described a dynamic that was essentially a rollercoaster. They loved "walking into a room together"—the ego boost of being the hottest couple in the building was real. But once the doors closed? "We didn't like how we felt being in a room together," Alex confessed in a 2021 episode. She called it "dark shit." It wasn't just a bad breakup; it was a realization that the chemistry only worked when people were watching.
The 2020 Rekindling: A Second Mistake?
Relationships like this rarely die a clean death. In early 2020, rumors started swirling that the two were back together. They were seen at a party, and Alex mentioned on the pod that she was seeing an "old flame."
It didn't go well.
Alex eventually revealed that the "rekindling" was a mistake. She felt that Syndergaard hadn't changed, and the same toxic patterns immediately resurfaced. There’s a specific kind of pain in going back to an ex only to find out they are exactly the same person who broke you the first time. For Alex, this was the final nail in the coffin.
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While she moved on to build an empire, Syndergaard's career took a different path. Once the King of New York, he faced a series of grueling injuries and Tommy John surgery. By 2023, he was bouncing between the Dodgers and the Guardians, struggling to find the 100-mph heat that made him a star.
Alex didn't hold back. In a 2023 episode, she took a subtle jab at his career struggles, noting that "he can’t get a contract." It sounded harsh, but for the "Daddy Gang," it was just Alex being Alex—unfiltered and perhaps still a bit stung by the way he supposedly treated her.
Why the Syndergaard Era Matters for the Daddy Gang
You might wonder why we’re still talking about a relationship that ended years ago. It’s because the Noah Syndergaard era defined the voice of Call Her Daddy.
Before Alex was interviewing Jane Fonda or Post Malone, she was a girl in a NYC apartment crying over a guy who didn't value her. That vulnerability is what built her cult following. She wasn't just giving sex advice; she was navigating the ego-driven, often cruel world of high-status dating.
The Lessons Learned
Looking back at the timeline, there are a few takeaways that are actually useful if you’re currently in the trenches of a "Slim Shady" situation:
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- The "Room" Test: If you love the idea of being seen with someone but hate the way you feel when you're alone with them, it’s not a relationship. It’s a performance.
- Privacy vs. Secrecy: When they tried to get back together in 2020, they kept it private to "take the pressure off." Sometimes, keeping a relationship secret isn't about protecting it; it's about hiding the fact that it shouldn't be happening at all.
- The Power of the Pivot: Alex took the emotional wreckage of that relationship and turned it into a business. She used her "darkest" moments as content, proving that your worst dating mistakes can actually be your greatest assets if you have the perspective to analyze them.
Where They Are Now
As of 2026, the two couldn't be in more different places. Alex Cooper is the "ungettable" guest, a woman who has transcended the "influencer" label to become a genuine media mogul. She’s found her "Matt Kaplan," a partner she describes as supportive and stable—the polar opposite of the chaos she chronicled in 2017.
Noah Syndergaard is still fighting for a comeback. After a brief stint with the White Sox organization in 2025, he remains a free agent, working on his mechanics in Texas. He’s 33 now, no longer the "Thor" of the New York tabloids, but a veteran pitcher trying to prove he still has life in his arm.
Their story is a classic New York tale: a star athlete and a rising media personality who burned bright and crashed hard. For Alex, it was the "Canon Event" that led her to where she is today.
To apply this to your own life, take a hard look at the "Slim Shady" in your contact list. If you find yourself relating more to Alex’s 2017 stories than her 2024 success, it might be time to do what she finally did: walk out of the room for good and start building your own empire.
Start by auditing your current relationships for the "Room Test." If you feel drained after spending time alone with them, no amount of "looking good together" in public is going to fix the underlying rot. Focus on your own growth, and eventually, the people who once made you feel small will just be footnotes in your success story.