*Former Fox Sports host Joy Taylor appeared on Kayla Nicole’s podcast, “The Pre-Game,” to address the ongoing scrutiny of her on-air appearance.
Taylor reflected on her early career, admitting she once felt “hyperaware” of “coming across too sexy,” worried colleagues might perceive her as prioritizing looks over talent, Vibe reports. “I wasn’t always this way,” she shared, highlighting the importance of valuing one’s professional contributions through “the equity that you have in a certain business, the relationships, the ground that you’ve laid for your skills.”
The conversation also shed light on the unequal standards applied to curvier women in professional spaces. Kayla Nicole remarked, “It’s like nothing about what she’s wearing is inappropriate. Her body just bothers you because you’re a creep.” Taylor agreed, emphasizing the double standard in wardrobe judgment: “So it looks professional on her [a thinner woman] and it looks unprofessional on me. And also, I’m not an unreasonable person. I’m not popping on television in f**king pasties.”
Taylor, unapologetic about her stance, stated, “Me showing up looking like a professional and doing my job and you thinking I’m sexy…that’s you. I’m not doing anything different than anyone else is doing.” She continued, “I’m not doing anything different than what the men are doing. I’m just hotter.”
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Kayla Nicole echoed her point, adding, “If that makes you uncomfortable that is your problem,” reinforcing Taylor’s earlier vow to “never apologize for being both smart and sexy on TV.”
Taylor’s exit from Fox Sports followed the cancellation of her show “Speak,” co-hosted with Keyshawn Johnson and Paul Pierce, amid a network programming overhaul. Her tenure was marred by a lawsuit from former Fox Sports hairstylist Noushin Faraji, who alleged Taylor bullied her and made threatening remarks about executive Charlie Dixon.
Faraji’s lawsuit accused Dixon and host Skip Bayless of sexual battery, alleging Taylor had romantic relationships with Dixon and Emmanuel Acho to secure roles on “Speak” and “Undisputed.” Faraji claimed Taylor bullied her after a falling out, telling her to “get over it” when she raised concerns about Dixon’s alleged inappropriate touching. She also alleged that Taylor threatened to claim Dixon “forced himself on her” when he was “no longer useful to her.”
A controversial social media post in February, depicting Taylor suggestively biting corn, further fueled public debate about her professionalism, contributing to a challenging period that ended with her departure from the network.
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: Joy Taylor Ousted from Fox Sports’ ‘Speak’ Amid Lawsuit Fallout and Social Media Uproar
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