Fox Sports has announced the cancellation of three flagship programs—Speak, Breakfast Ball, and The Facility—in a sweeping reshuffle of its FS1 lineup. As part of the shakeup, longtime host Joy Taylor is officially out at the network.
Programming Shake‑Up and Host Exits
According to The Athletic, the decision came after persistently low ratings for all three shows. Speak, helmed by Taylor alongside former athletes Keyshawn Johnson and Paul Pierce since September 2022, failed to attract a sizable audience.
A statement from People confirmed that Fox Sports has not yet commented officially on the shakeup, though it has confirmed the layoffs and cancellations. As of July 14, FS1 now retains only The Herd with Colin Cowherd and First Things First in its live schedule.
Legal and Ratings Context
Taylor, 38, had been featured in headlines earlier this year after being named in a sexual-battery lawsuit brought by former hairstylist Noushin Faraji. The suit alleged that Taylor dismissed Faraji’s claims, telling her to “get over it,” and also linked Taylor to an alleged affair with former executive Charlie Dixon. Taylor and her spokesperson strongly denied all allegations. As reported:
“The claims set forth against Ms. Taylor are devoid of merit and appear to have been strategically framed to create unwarranted publicity,” her spokeswoman said.
Following the lawsuit’s emergence, Taylor was removed from air for two weeks before returning to FS1’s lineup. Her contract, reportedly set to expire this summer, was not renewed.
Talent Reactions and Fan Support
In the aftermath, Emmanuel Acho—former host of The Facility—took to social media and offered perspective:
“In sports, when you’re not good enough, you get cut,” Acho wrote.
“In TV, when you’re not good enough, you get cancelled… But what I do know is I trust God.”
Other co-hosts, including Chase Daniel, James Jones, and LeSean McCoy, also posted messages of gratitude and resilience on X (formerly Twitter).
Taylor has kept her response restrained. She shared a peaceful workout video on Instagram, captioned “Couple sets before the beach” with a bicep emoji. Her fans responded with support, writing: “Hope you land on ESPN or some other sports network, I’m going to miss you.”
A Viral Moment Amid Transition
Taylor’s final months at FS1 were marked by a viral rant over Aaron Rodgers’ absence from Pittsburgh Steelers OTAs—a baffling critique, given Rodgers was not yet signed by Pittsburgh. In that moment, Taylor shouted:
“This is the Pittsburgh Steelers!… Where is your pride? Where is your dignity?… He doesn’t know the rehab crew…”
While the moment drew confusion and humor from the public, there’s no indication it directly influenced the cancellation decisions.
What Comes Next
As FS1 reorders its programming, some laid-off hosts may be reassigned to fresh content, per The Sun. Meanwhile, Taylor and others will now be testing the free‑agent market in sports media.
With Taylor’s career including stints on Undisputed, The Herd, and Speak since joining Fox in 2016, she remains a recognized voice in sports broadcasting. Fans and industry insiders alike will watch closely as this dynamic evolves.
Despite a turbulent final chapter, Taylor appears focused on the future. As she once remarked about public scrutiny:
“I think it’s a grief process when anything like that happens… You can’t decide who you are when it’s happening.”