Throughout the week, Joy Taylor has been absent from the FS1 afternoon program, Speak, upon reportedly being “sidelined” by the network. The rationale for this reported decision is currently unknown, according to a story from Ryan Glasspiegel and Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports, and the show did not go beyond alerting viewers that Taylor was absent. The report added that Taylor has been in Los Angeles since she has returned from vacation, recently attending the Los Angeles Lakers game against the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night.
Taylor was named in a lawsuit filed in early January by former FOX Sports hairstylist Noushin Faraji that also included Skip Bayless and Charlie Dixon as defendants. Within the 42-page legal filing, Faraji alleged that Taylor had caused a hostile work environment through discriminating against her on the basis of race/national origin and disability. Faraji also alleged that upon Dixon engaging in “unsolicited touching,” Taylor informed her to “get over it” and added that he was the reason why Faraji had her job.
Taylor and Bayless denied the allegations that were made against them, and attorneys from FOX Corporation have asked for the full dismissal of the case. A spokeswoman for Taylor issued a statement to The Athletic articulating that the claims were “devoid of merit and appear to have been strategically flamed to create unwarranted publicity rather than to seek legitimate redress.”
Taylor has been a member of FOX Sports since 2016, previously serving as the moderator of Undisputed and co-host of The Herd. The afternoon program, Speak, expanded to two hours last summer before the network announced alterations to its show lineup, debuting two new morning programs in Breakfast Ball and The Facility. FS1 currently airs its programs from New York City and Los Angeles, and it is reportedly nearing a contract extension with Colin Cowherd where he would continue hosting his show and move to Chicago.
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