Joy Taylor has addressed the lawsuit that involved several Fox Sports personalities, saying the claims put her through ‘difficult times’, ‘sorrow’, and ‘distress’.
Named in the explosive lawsuit, along with Taylor, were executive Charlie Dixon, former FS1 host Skip Bayless, and the Fox Corporation. This legal action was initiated by hairstylist and former Fox worker Noushin Faraji.
She was accused of using sexual relationships with ex-NFL star co-host Emmanuel Acho and Dixon to further her career.
Back in January, Taylor was also alleged to have used ‘her sexuality to get on a show’ when she sought a spot on Acho’s program ‘Speak’.
Taylor has denied ‘every single charge brought against her’, with her legal team describing the lawsuit as ‘a blatant ploy to exploit media coverage and sway public opinion for monetary benefit.’
Now she has opened up on the impact that the scandal had on her.
Joy Taylor has spoken out on the lawsuit that embroiled several Fox Sports stars in scandal
She was accused of using sexual relationships to further her career with the network
Both Taylor and former FS1 host Skip Bayless (left) denied the allegations against them
‘I won’t say that there were not dark times, but I’m very blessed to have an amazing family and amazing friends and mentors and an amazing team,’ she told ‘The Breakfast Club‘.
‘People that know me and have known me for my whole life reminding me of who I am and what I deserve.’
Taylor continued: ‘I have felt a lot of different emotions – I think it’s a grief process when anything like that happens,’ she told The Breakfast Club.
‘I’ll say, I’ve been through a lot of traumatic things in my life. A lot. And I think any time you go through a trauma or a grieving period of something, you can’t decide who you are when it’s happening.
‘And that’s been the biggest thing for me. It’s this or that. I’m working on it, but it’s this or that. And I know years from now I’ll look back, and I will feel differently than how I feel right now.
‘I’m trying to be patient with myself in that way, because it’s a lot to adjust to. It’s a new reality. And I’m trying to choose myself and be gentle with myself in that sense.’
Much of the lawsuit focused on allegations of sexual harassment, sexual battery, negligent supervision, retaliation and other hostile workplace issues between 2012 and August of 2024.
Bayless was accused of offering $1.5million to Faraji for sex, while Dixon was accused of groping the stylist’s buttocks.
Noushin Faraji, a hair stylist, filed a lawsuit naming Fox stars including Bayless and Taylor
Charlie Dixon is no longer with Fox Sports after being twice accused of sexual battery
Taylor was alleged to have dismissed Faraji’s complaints about sexual harassment against Bayless and Dixon, telling the hair stylist to ‘get over it.’
Despite the furor, she continued to present ‘Speak’ and ‘Two Personal’, her podcast which includes graphic admissions about her sex life.
Taylor explained why decided not to hide from the scrutiny, telling The Breakfast Club: ‘It was intentional to show up as I did’
She explained: ‘When you know yourself, it’s easier to continue to show up as you are. And there’s always going to be things that happen in life, that happen in this business, that happen when you’re a front-facing person.
‘And when you get into the business, that is the risk we take. Of putting ourselves in front of the camera, of putting yourself out there. That things, at some point, might not be the best for you. I mean, what’s meant for me is still coming.’
Back in April, reports claimed Fox Sports executive Dixon had lost his job after being accused of sexual battery in two separate lawsuits.
He was also accused in another case of pinning former Fox Sports host Julie Stewart-Binks against a wall and forcibly kissing her during a 2016 meeting in a hotel room. Dixon denied that claim.
Bayless also denied the allegations against him, while Fox Sports asked for the case to be dismissed ‘in its entirety.’
