Stephen A. Smith has issued a staunch defense of his longtime friend Skip Bayless and attempted to shed light on the man behind a series of worrying allegations in a bombshell Fox Sports lawsuit.
Bayless, Joy Taylor, network executive Charlie Dixon and the Fox Corporation were named in a lawsuit filed in LA, much of which focuses on allegations of sexual harassment, sexual battery, negligent supervision, retaliation, and other hostile workplace issues between 2012 and 2024.
In the 42-page document, Bayless is accused of offering ex-FS1 hairstylist Noushin Faraji, who filed the suit, $1.5million for sex.
Speaking on his self-titled The Stephen A. Smith Show on Monday night, Smith made a concerted effort not to talk about the matter but was keen to provide insight on Bayless as a person.
‘Here’s what I would tell you. I’ve known Skip for [25 years], I can’t imagine it,’ Smith said in the segment, adding he doesn’t think he would be ‘capable of that’.
‘Especially when they brought up “$1.5m”,’ he added. ‘The Skip Bayless I know has a hard time giving away $15. He’s one of the cheapest people I know.
‘But that doesn’t mean I have any inside knowledge about any of this,’ Smith continued. ‘I don’t and I’m not going to get involved.’
Stephen A. Smith lifted the lid on Skip Bayless as a person amid the Fox Sports lawsuit
A lawsuit filed by a former FS1 hairstylist accuses Bayless of offering her $1.5million for sex
Smith and Bayless worked together on ESPN’s First Take for four years before the latter left to join FS1 in 2016.
With his former colleague involved in the lawsuit, Smith stressed the importance of coming to his defense without sweeping the allegations aside amid a legal battle.
‘I think it’s incredibly dicey and irresponsible for people who don’t know to act like they do know,’ Smith added.
‘But in the same breath, I think that it’s important that if you know people, it’s not a crime for you to say, the person that I know, the person that I’ve been around, the person I worked with in his case, for four straight years, the person that I’ve seen who really really trusts no one and doesn’t expose himself to anybody.
‘Eating the same breakfast and lunch everyday, his vice is a diet Mountain Dew, and he doesn’t socialize with people, that’s the guy I know. So imagining him being in this kind of situation is shocking to say the least.’
‘All I can tell you is that is not the Skip Bayless I know,’ he declared.
‘I’m very very heartbroken that he finds himself in this situation, being accused of these allegations,’ Smith continued. ‘But I can’t be over the airwaves being irresponsible and attaching truth and guilt to anything that I know nothing about.’
Apart from Bayless, the lawsuit also alleged that Taylor ‘used sexual relationships with [Emmanuel] Acho and network executive Charlie Dixon to further her career’.
Smith and Bayless hosted ESPN’s First Take together for four years before Bayless left for Fox
Hair stylist Noushin Faraji (pictured) has accused Fox Sports of creating a hostile workplace
The lawsuit alleges that FS1 stars Emmanuel Acho and Joy Taylor had a sexual relationship
Furthermore, Taylor is accused of dismissing Faraji’s complaints about sexual harassment against Bayless and Dixon, telling the hair stylist to ‘get over it.’
‘I’m not here to cast hate on Miss Faraji or anyone else,’ Smith said. ‘I don’t know Charlie Dixon that well, even though he used to work at ESPN. I don’t know Joy Taylor that well even though she and I have interacted with one another on several occasions through her career and I find her to be a professional, very good at what she does.
‘I also know that she is big on women empowerment, so it’s hard to imagine her saying “get over it”. But again, I don’t know.’
After eight years with Fox, Bayless surprisingly left the network on August 2, 2024. His departure came as a shock as he didn’t bid farewell or sign off on air in his final episode of Undisputed.
Smith emphasized Taylor’s professionalism and effort to push for women empowerment
Taylor used sexual relationships with Acho (left) and network executive Charlie Dixon (right) to further her career, according to Faraji’s lawsuit
Following the program, Bayless took to X and wrote: ‘Today was my last show on Undisputed. I’m leaving FS1. I’ve been planning to pursue other opportunities for several months. I had a great 8-year run with a lot of great people at FOX, but now I’m excited for what’s coming up. Stay tuned.’
When the lawsuit emerged on Sunday, a spokesperson for Fox Sports told DailyMail.com: ‘We take these allegations seriously and have no further comment at this time given this pending litigation.’
DailyMail.com has reached out to Acho and Taylor’s management for comments.
Taylor appeared on FS1’s Speak on Monday evening with Paul Pierce, Keyshawn Johnson, and Michael Irvin – her first TV appearance since the allegations surfaced.
