Fox Sports has canceled its talk show Speak, leading to the layoff of co-host Joy Taylor, months after she was named in a sexual battery lawsuit against the network. The show, which Taylor co-hosted with former NFL star Keyshawn Johnson and former NBA player Paul Pierce since 2022, was reportedly struggling with low ratings.
In addition to Speak, Fox Sports has also canceled its morning shows Breakfast Ball and The Facility, with all three programs cited for flailing viewership, according to reports. Fox Sports has yet to issue an immediate comment on the cancellations or layoffs.
The news of Taylor’s departure comes seven months after a former Fox Sports hairstylist, Noushin Faraji, filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against the network. In the lawsuit, Faraji accused Taylor of dismissing her claims that then-Fox Sports programming executive Charlie Dixon groped her during Taylor’s birthday party in 2017.
Faraji’s lawsuit also alleged that Taylor, who is married, had an affair with Dixon, implying this relationship was instrumental in her securing a prominent role as moderator on Skip and Shannon: Undisputed. Furthermore, Faraji accused Taylor of mocking her accent and her PTSD-induced humming.
Taylor has vehemently denied the accusations. A spokeswoman for Taylor told The Athletic earlier this year, “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.”