Sports media figure Joy Taylor has spoken about recent legal challenges and her personal life as lawsuits against her employer and others in the industry draw attention. Taylor was recently named as a defendant in two separate discrimination lawsuits filed against Fox Sports and its parent company.
The complaints allege a hostile work environment at FS1, where Taylor is a host. One lawsuit, filed by former hairstylist Noushin Faraji, claims Taylor discriminated based on race and nationality, and also suggests Taylor advanced her career through relationships with network executives and colleagues. Taylor has denied these accusations in court filings. A spokesperson for Taylor called her inclusion a bid for publicity.
Another lawsuit, filed by former correspondent Julie Stewart-Binks, claims executive Charlie Dixon sexually assaulted her and that the network later declined to renew her contract. This suit implies Taylor's rise at the network occurred at Stewart-Binks's expense. Stewart-Binks alleged Dixon told her Taylor was a good host.
Taylor has worked as a host at FS1 for nearly a decade, covering various sports topics on shows like Undisputed, The Herd, and currently Speak. The lawsuits have led to public commentary, including from former FS1 hosts Marcellus Wiley and Jason Whitlock, who made various claims and remarks about Taylor on podcasts.
Amidst the lawsuits and public discussion, Joy Taylor relaunched her podcast, Two Personal, this week without former co-host Taylor Rooks, who departed due to other commitments. In a teaser clip for the show's new season, Taylor made a remark about her personal life, stating, "Every year I get older, I’m like, ‘What am I gonna do?’ I have to have sex every day, and I can’t, I’m not."
The podcast comment came several months after the lawsuit allegations became public, which included accusations about Taylor's personal relationships influencing her career path.
Taylor has discussed the hostility present in the sports media landscape, noting she developed a "hard shell" over her career. She commented on remarks made by Jason Whitlock regarding her appearance and professional qualifications, stating, "I think that if I am so beautiful that my beauty negates my need for any skill or talent or education or résumé or results, I must be pretty fucking beautiful."
Other sports journalists have defended Taylor's professional capabilities, arguing that her hiring for Speak was due to her qualifications. One source quoted in a recent article noted that her inclusion in the lawsuit felt inappropriate given her professional background. The source added that the situation highlights "what men get away with" in the industry.
The lawsuits describe a culture at FS1 under former executives Jamie Horowitz and Charlie Dixon that allegedly fostered shouty debate and failed to address workplace misconduct concerns previously raised elsewhere within the larger corporation. Dixon has been placed on administrative leave by Fox Sports following the second lawsuit filing.
Taylor has also spoken publicly in the past about enduring abuse in her childhood and in subsequent relationships. She told The Cut that her experiences helped prepare her for public scrutiny but noted, "We cannot control how others view us or what they believe."