Joy Taylor has not appeared on FS1’s “Speak” and reportedly it was a decision made by the network.
According to Front Office Sports, Taylor has been “sidelined” by the network, sources close to the situation stated. The alleged infraction that caused Taylor to be relieved of her hosting duties for the week has not yet been disclosed. A spokesperson for Fox Sports declined to comment.
Taylor’s noticeable absence from the show comes more than a month after she was named as a defendant in a misconduct lawsuit filed by Noushin Faraji, a former Fox Sports hairstylist, along with Skip Bayless.
According to the suit, Faraji accuses Taylor of having sexual relationships with Fox Sports executive Charlie Dixon as well as former co-host Emmanuel Acho to advance her career. Additionally, she allegedly mocked Faraji’s Persian ethnicity.
“Ms. Taylor told Ms. Faraji that she was recently wed but her husband remained in Miami and that she was lonely in Los Angeles.” The suit also reveals that Faraji learned about Taylor’s relationship with Dixon in 2016 when they went out for drinks. However, Taylor told Faraji that they were just friends, but their body language was different.
When the bombshell lawsuit went public, Taylor remained a co-host of “Speak” and apparently was not disciplined by FS1. She led the network’s on-site coverage of Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans earlier this month.
In response to the lawsuit, Taylor denied all accusations levied against her and filed a motion for the lawsuit to be dismissed earlier this month.
“The claims set forth against Ms. Taylor are devoid of merit and appear to have been strategically framed to create unwarranted publicity rather than to seek legitimate redress,” a spokeswoman said to The Athletic.