Joy Taylor is out at FOX Sports after the network elected to shake up its show lineup.
Taylor had a rocky tenure at FOX in recent years, with the host being named in a bombshell lawsuit, which also included former host Skip Bayless and executive Charlie Dixon. Fans also called for the 38-year-old’s firing after Taylor commented on Aaron Rodgers’ saga with the Pittsburgh Steelers, though the network chose not to make a move.
That was until Monday, when it was reported that FOX was set to head in a different direction as it looked to change its programming in hopes of bringing in another audience.
On Monday, sources told Andrew Marchand of The Athletic that Taylor was let go by FOX and that the show she co-hosts, ‘Speak,’ with Keyshawn Johnson and Paul Pierce, was being canceled. Of note, the 38-year-old’s contract was not renewed by FOX after it was up.
Along with ‘Speak,’ Marchand also reports that ‘Breakfast Ball’ and ‘The Facility’ were also getting canceled, with the shows failing to capture the audience the network was looking for. Of the three, ‘The Facility’ was started less than a year ago and featured Emmanuel Acho, Chase Daniel, James Jones and LeSean McCoy as the talent.
Roughly around the same time as the reports started to spread on social media, Taylor posted a clip of herself exercising near the water, seemingly unbothered by the news. Those on social media were quick to note the rather interesting timing of the post, as it coincides with her firing from FOX.
“Damn. You got canned finally? Should been more humble,” a commenter wrote on the initial post. Another added that while Taylor is the main name attached to the firings, blame needed to be placed on FOX’s shoulders for what the commenter believed was a misallocation of resources.
“I think @foxsports is the blame. You were on show from Undisputed and they all did good numbers. They had the wrong cast around you,” the comment read.
Taylor’s firing comes more than a month after fans called for the 38-year-old to be replaced after her tirade aimed at Rodgers and his decision to prolong his signing with the Steelers. During a recent episode on FS1, Taylor made it clear she was frustrated with the game Rodgers was playing.
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“Why?! Why?! This is the Pittsburgh Steelers,” an exasperated Taylor said at the time. “They have six Lombardi’s. They’re coached by first-ballot Hall of Famer Mike Tomlin who has never had a losing season.
“And we’re sitting around talking about Aaron Rodgers is not there on the first day of OTAs. Mandatory or not, where’s your pride? Where’s your dignity? Where’s your respect for the game? Where’s your respect for this organization? Where’s this organization’s respect for the history they have in this league?
“What are we talking about? He’s never played there before! He doesn’t know any of these teammates. He doesn’t know the streets to get to the facility. He doesn’t know the doctors, the rehab crew. He doesn’t know anybody! He doesn’t know anybody. He doesn’t know where to get his smoothies. Nothing. Why would you not be there?
“Why am I supposed to take this seriously? It’s not about him not being at non-mandatory OTAs for a team that he’s been with for 22 years, do what you want to do. You won five games last year.
“The year before that you didn’t play because you tore your Achilles. The year before that you missed the playoffs. What are we talking about?”
While ‘Speak,’ ‘Breakfast Ball’ and ‘The Facility’ are canceled, ‘The Herd’ with Colin Cowherd and ‘First Things First’ with Nick Wright, Chris Broussard and Kevin Wildes will remain.