The Joy Taylor lawsuit was a sexual harassment and retaliation case filed in January 2025 by longtime Fox Sports hairstylist Noushin Faraji, who accused Taylor of brushing off a colleague’s report of being groped and of personally mistreating her at work. Taylor denied every allegation. The individual claims against her, Skip Bayless, Charlie Dixon, and Fox were resolved by a confidential settlement approved on August 28, 2025, and Taylor left Fox Sports weeks earlier when FS1 canceled her show Speak.
What Faraji Accused Joy Taylor Of
Faraji filed her 14-claim complaint in Los Angeles Superior Court on January 3, 2025, naming Fox Sports, several Fox corporate entities, Bayless, FS1 content chief Charlie Dixon, and Taylor.1Deadline. Skip Bayless Sued Fox Sports Sexual Battery The most serious sexual-misconduct allegations targeted Bayless and Dixon. The claims against Taylor were different in kind.
Faraji alleged that after Dixon grabbed her buttocks at a 2017 birthday party in West Hollywood, she reported the incident to Taylor, whom she considered a friend. According to the lawsuit, Taylor told her to “get over it” and warned that Dixon had the power to fire both of them.2Mediaite. 5 Most Stunning Allegations in the Fox Sports Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Taylor allegedly said she herself only held her Fox position because of Dixon, and that Faraji’s job depended on Taylor’s request.3Los Angeles Times. Skip Bayless Joy Taylor Charlie Dixon Fox Settlement Lawsuit
The complaint said the two women’s friendship later deteriorated and that Taylor began insulting Faraji personally and professionally, including mocking what the lawsuit called the “English” pronunciation of her name. Faraji, who is of Persian descent, characterized this as ethnic mockery.4The Oklahoman. Skip Bayless Joy Taylor Fox Sports Lawsuit Alleges Harassment Another claim said Taylor complained about Faraji’s humming, which the lawsuit identified as an involuntary coping mechanism for diagnosed PTSD.5Yahoo Sports. Joy Taylor Fired FS1
The complaint also alleged that Taylor had maintained romantic relationships with Dixon and with fellow on-air personality Emmanuel Acho to advance her career, claiming her relationship with Dixon led to her being made moderator of Undisputed despite being “relatively inexperienced” and that a relationship with Acho helped her land a spot on Speak for Yourself.2Mediaite. 5 Most Stunning Allegations in the Fox Sports Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Acho was not named as a defendant, and the lawsuit itself said he “had always been respectful to Ms. Faraji and never threatened or hurt her.”6Newsweek. Joy Taylor Video Fox Sports
Taylor’s Denial
Taylor rejected the allegations across the board. In a February 2025 court filing, her attorneys called the claims “devoid of merit” and said they appeared to have been “strategically framed to create unwarranted publicity rather than to seek legitimate redress.”7Front Office Sports. FS1 Sidelines Joy Taylor From Speak Her team also argued that Faraji was “not a qualified person with a disability” and that any emotional distress she suffered came from unrelated causes.8Yahoo Sports. Joy Taylor Done Fox Sports A spokeswoman told The Athletic that Faraji had added Taylor to the lawsuit specifically to “leverage media attention.”
In an April 2025 profile in The Cut, Taylor described the experience as a “grief process” and said she had never felt compelled to publicly litigate whether the relationship allegations were true or false. A close friend quoted in the piece said Taylor had learned she “can’t be as trusting” and “needs to be a better judge of character,” a lesson sharpened by Faraji having been her friend. Taylor said she had kept working on-air by choice: “When you know yourself, it’s easier to continue to show up as you are. It was intentional to show up as I did.”9Awful Announcing. Joy Taylor First Public Comments FS1 Lawsuit
How the Case Was Resolved
The lawsuit moved briefly to federal court before being sent back. After Faraji amended her complaint in February 2025 to drop an overtime claim that had been the sole basis for federal jurisdiction, a judge remanded the case to Los Angeles Superior Court.10CourtListener. Noushin Faraji v. Fox Corporation
By late August, the parties had reached a deal. Faraji’s initial attempt to dismiss the case was rebuffed because it included a class-action component on labor practices that required separate handling.3Los Angeles Times. Skip Bayless Joy Taylor Charlie Dixon Fox Settlement Lawsuit On August 28, 2025, the court approved dismissal of the individual claims.1Deadline. Skip Bayless Sued Fox Sports Sexual Battery Judge Laura A. Seigle formally dismissed the sexual battery, hostile work environment, failure to prevent harassment, and wrongful termination claims, noting they had been “resolved.”11Los Angeles Times. Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Skip Bayless Fox
The financial terms are not public. A Fox spokesperson said the company was “pleased that this matter has been resolved” and declined further comment.1Deadline. Skip Bayless Sued Fox Sports Sexual Battery One piece of the litigation is still alive: Faraji’s attorneys are pursuing class certification on wage-and-hour claims, alleging Fox failed to pay minimum wages, reimburse business expenses, pay all wages upon separation, and furnish accurate wage statements to nonexempt hourly workers in California. As of September 2025, that class had not been certified.12Sportico. Fox Skip Bayless Noushin Faraji Settlement Those remaining claims are not against Taylor personally.
Taylor’s Exit From Fox Sports
In July 2025, Fox Sports canceled three FS1 programs: Speak, Breakfast Ball, and The Facility. Taylor, who had co-hosted Speak with Keyshawn Johnson and Paul Pierce, saw her contract expire without renewal.13AL.com. Joy Taylor Out at Fox Sports, FS1 Cancels Three Shows The same round of cuts also ended runs for Emmanuel Acho, LeSean McCoy, Craig Carton, and several other on-air personalities. Sources told The Athletic the shows were dropped because they “struggled to find a huge audience.”14The Athletic (New York Times). Joy Taylor Fox Sports Cancelled Shows
Taylor rejected the idea that the lawsuit drove her out. On the Hot Mics with Billy Bush podcast in August 2025, she said, “That situation and that suit had nothing to do with the changes that happened at FS1. I think from a logical standpoint, everyone can just look at it and see what the changes were and that there were three shows that were cut.” She added that coverage “was sort of made to seem like I was the only person that was no longer going to be there, which obviously is not true.”15Awful Announcing. Joy Taylor Lawsuit Nothing to Do Departure FS1
Where Joy Taylor Is Now
In May 2026, Taylor launched The Daily Play with Joy Taylor, a short-form sports commentary podcast on the Urban One Podcast Network. Episodes run five to ten minutes, Monday through Friday, distributed across Radio One, REACH Media, and Urban One’s audio platforms.16Urban One Podcasts. Joy Taylor Shakes Up Sports Media With Launch of The Daily Play “I wanted to create something fast, focused, and always authentic,” Taylor said of the show. “Sports fans are busy, but they want the context behind the conversation.”17Barrett Media. Joy Taylor Urban One Podcast