Who's your daddy? (phrase)

Who's your daddy? is a slang expression that, in one use, takes the form of a rhetorical question. It is commonly used as a boastful claim of dominance over the intended listener. It is also sometimes used as a derogatory claim of sexual dominance of a man over a woman. The phrase itself stands out as a noteworthy lyric from the 1968 song "Time of the Season" by The Zombies: "What's your name? Who's your daddy? Is he rich like me?"

An early use of the phrase occurs in Gene Wilder's 1975 comedy The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother. Sigerson Holmes (Gene Wilder) grills Jenny Hill (Madeline Kahn), the supposed daughter of the British Minister of External Affairs, in a rather unusual interrogation process. While sitting over her almost naked and rather responsive body lying on a couch, he massages her breasts and repeatedly asks her Who's Your Father?.

In the 1979 film Scum, where the 'Daddy' refers to the inmate who runs the borstal. The character Carlin, played by Ray Winstone, brutally bludgeons Banks, the current Daddy, thus becoming the new Daddy.

Widespread provocative use of the phrase began as early as the late 1980s, largely due to its frequent use in sexually suggestive skits broadcast by a popular syndicated radio shock jock known as "The Greaseman". The expression was further popularized in a well known 1991 comedy routine by Dennis Miller. On an early episode of The Daily Show host Craig Kilborn used the line "Who's your daddy? Is he rich like me?", quoting from "Time of the Season".

Denzel Washington playing Coach Boone in Remember the Titans (2000) uses the line to initiate dominance over two student athletes.

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