Dave Portnoy takes brutal shot at Fox stylist and accuses her of ‘shakedown’ amid sex scandal

Dave Portnoy doesn’t understand why Joy Taylor was named in Friday’s lawsuit against the FS1 host, her former on-air partner Skip Bayless, Fox and network executive Charlie Dixon.

Moreover, the founder of Barstool Sports suspects a ‘shakedown’.

That lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on behalf of stylist Noushin Faraji, accuses Taylor of furthering her career by taking advantage of sexual relationships with Dixon and Taylor’s current on-air co-host, ex-NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho. In addition, Taylor allegedly schemed to protect her job at the network by fabricating a sexual misconduct allegation against Dixon, a Fox Sports executive vice president in charge of talent.

“What difference does it make if they were in a consensual relationship or not?” Portnoy asked on X from Taylor and Acho. ‘And since when is Acho a heavyweight who ensures that people get promoted? I honestly don’t even know why Joy Taylor is in the lawsuit?’

When asked by Portnoy, Taylor is also accused of discouraging Faraji from reporting Bayless and Dixon to human resources over sexual harassment allegations.

Portnoy described the trial as a “shakedown” and then stated that he would “prepare for judgment before burying people.”

“I just think it stinks to high heaven,” he wrote, adding that he has no prior knowledge of the matter.

“My bulls*** meter is at a hundred million trillion in this Fox sports lawsuit,” Portnoy wrote on X. “Just accusing people of s*** doesn’t make it facts. Time will tell. I will say that I believe all suspects should not listen to their lawyers and loudly defend themselves if they are innocent.”

Portnoy, who was previously accused of violent sexual encounters with women in a 2021 Business Insider piece, further explained why the accused should not listen to lawyers.

“No lawyer in the history of the world has ever told me that I have to defend myself publicly,” Portnoy wrote. “They’re always wrong.”

Portnoy sued Business Insider over the 2021 article, which he called a “hit piece.” That lawsuit was dismissed and he eventually dropped his appeal. Portnoy has never been charged with sexual misconduct and continues to maintain his innocence.

Faraji’s lawyer did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.

Taylor, Dixon, former FS1 host Skip Bayless and the Fox Corporation are named in Faraji’s lawsuit, which largely focuses on allegations of sexual harassment, sexual battery, negligent supervision, retaliation and other hostile workplace issues between 2012 and August 2024. Bayless is accused of offering Faraji $1.5 million for sex, while Dixon is accused of groping the stylist’s buttocks.

Taylor himself is accused of dismissing Faraji’s sexual harassment complaints against Bayless and Dixon and telling the hairdresser to “get over it.”

But along with these accusations are Faraji’s claims that Taylor used sex to advance her career — first with Dixon and then with Acho, the retired NFL linebacker and Taylor’s co-host of FS1’s “Speak.”

With Dixon, Faraji began to suspect that he and Taylor were having an affair in 2016, despite both being married at the time.

“About May 2016, Ms. Taylor asked Ms. Faraji to go out for drinks in Santa Monica,” reads the lawsuit, obtained by DailyMail.com. “When Ms Faraji arrived, she found Ms Taylor with an older man, Fox Sport’s Executive Vice President of Content, Mr Dixon. As Executive Vice President, Mr. Dixon is responsible for overseeing all content and production at FS1. However, Ms Faraji did not know Mr Dixon.

‘Based on their body language, Ms Faraji suspected that the couple were sleeping together, and although this concerned Ms Faraji as she knew Ms Taylor had recently married, Ms Faraji kept her opinions to herself.’

Taylor was just a fill-in at the time, but was later added to the network in a full-time role. And according to Faraji, that decision was made at Dixon’s insistence, despite Bayless’ objections.

‘Sir. Bayless later “announced to Ms. Faraji that he did not want Ms. Taylor on the show, but Mr. Dixon was adamant that Ms. Taylor be the lead,” the filing said. “Initially, Mr. Dixon arranged a dinner between Mr. Bayless and Ms. Taylor, where she arrived in provocative clothing and behaved provocatively. When that did not change Mr. Bayless’s opinion of Ms. Taylor, Mr. Dixon asked him to approve her as a favor to him. Mr. Bayless reluctantly agreed to do this as a favor to his friend.”

Taylor would soon split from her husband, Richard Giannotti, who is not named in the lawsuit.

And according to Faraji, that was because Taylor’s former ex discovered evidence of her infidelity.

“Around August 2016, Ms. Faraji attended a dinner with Ms. Taylor and her husband and Mr. Dixon and his wife,” the filing said. ‘During the dinner, Ms Taylor’s husband became suspicious that Ms Taylor and Mr Dixon were having a sexual relationship. Shortly after the dinner, Ms. Taylor’s husband found evidence of the inappropriate relationship and divorced Ms. Taylor.”

Taylor is once again accused of “using her sexuality to get on a show” in 2020, when she sought a spot on Acho’s program.

‘Madam. Faraji did not know Mr. Acho, but was aware that the two were in a romantic relationship,” the filing said.

According to Faraji, Taylor all but admitted to having sex with Acho and dismissed rumors of any jealousy by Dixon.

“A few months after meeting Mr. Acho at lunch, Ms. Faraji saw him in the hallway while he was at work,” the filing continues. ‘Madam. Faraji later asked Ms. Taylor whether Mr. Acho also worked at Fox.

‘Madam. Taylor confirmed, explaining that she wanted Mr. Acho to eventually recommend her for the show “Speak for Yourself.”

‘Madam. Faraji became concerned and warned Mrs. Taylor that she should probably not sleep with Mr. Dixon and Mr. Acho at the same time, as Mr. Dixon is a very powerful man who can get very angry. Mrs Taylor said she didn’t have to worry about it. She explained that she was now powerful too, and once Mr. Dixon was no longer useful to her, she would carry out her plan to tell the company that he was forcing himself on her. She wouldn’t let Mr. Dixon push her away like other female talents.”

Oddly enough, Acho has since deleted a social media post where he praised Taylor for her professionalism.

Fox released a brief statement, though Taylor, Bayless and Acho have remained silent on the matter.

“We take these allegations seriously and will allow the legal process to take its course,” the network statement said. “We have no further comment at this time.”

DailyMail.com has contacted representatives for Taylor and her foundation for comment. Attorneys for Bayless, Dixon and Taylor have not yet been made available to Los Angeles Superior Court.

Joy Taylor, the sister of former Miami Dolphins star Jason Taylor, was engaged to former NBA player and coach Earl Watson, although the couple has since split.