Why did Jason Whitlock leave Fox Sports? Reason explored as former host’s Joy Taylor comments sparks backlash online

Jason Whitlock is known for making remarks that tend to cause an online backlash. This time, the sports columnist has reportedly made some unkind comments towards his former FS1 (Fox Sports 1) colleague, Joy Taylor, in the wake of recent allegations made by a lawsuit.

Whitlock, who joined FS1 in 2016, left the media channel four years later, in 2020. The reason behind his departure was reportedly a disagreement between him and the network over the former's new contract.

In 2020, the columnist revealed to Front Office Sports that Fox Sports offered him a "two-year extension" for hosting Speak without any pay increase. Whitlock further mentioned how he had better opportunities in front of him than staying at FS1. The network confirmed his exit from FS1 in an official statement. Fox Sports thanked him for "his hard work and dedication" and wished him luck.

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Jason Whitlock gets criticized for his recent comments on Joy Taylor

On January 5, Noushin Faraji filed a suit against Skip Bayless, Joy Taylor, Charlie Dixon, and many other prominent names (within Fox Sports) as defendants. Faraji, a former hairstylist for Fox Sports, alleged s*xual and toxic workplace harassment in her suit. After the allegations went public, everyone reacted differently by giving their opinions on the matter.

Jason Whitlock, a former FS1 employee, was also among those who talked about the lawsuit. However, the former Fox Sports host received criticism online for his unpleasant remarks towards Joy Taylor. Whitlock targeted Taylor, who currently co-hosts Speak, by saying:

"Joy Taylor is a symbol of this whole feminist movement. This whole Black queens movement, this whole… DEI movement. This whole sharing everything with women, and, 'Hey there's gotta be a woman host on all of these shows.' Well, there's consequences to that, and this whole system has been set up… to create the kind of chaos and division and inefficiency and corruption that we're seeing spelled out in this lawsuit, but we're seeing spelled out all across American media."

Jason Whitlock also added:

"Joy Taylor had done some radio work down in Miami, what does she have to offer?. How does she get that job? How does she even get that opportunity? ... A 25-year-old with them big cans and that peanut butter skin who has nothing to say, at some point I'm going to lose respect."

Posting a short clip from his show Fearless targeting Taylor, Whitlock wrote:

"This is why I didn't want Joy Taylor on my show at Fox Sports. That big r*ck of hers and that peanut butter skin... I know what I'm capable of."

After his post went viral, many users started criticizing or making fun of Whitlock's remarks towards Joy Taylor.

"Jason Whitlock taking about him getting some play is the biggest lie of 2025," @KahliefAdams said.

"Jason Whitlock is a madman," @Culturecams posted jokingly.

"of course he had to add food somewhere in there," another user joked.

"LMAOOO he sound like a predator," someone hit back at Whitlock.

"THIS IS REAL MAN I WATCHED IT LIVE AND COULDN'T BELIEVE IT MAN," a user claimed.

"Wait this is real? I thought this was AI," another one shared their disbelief.

"I've worked with beautiful women, but never felt that I wouldn't be able to control myself around them," someone called out Whitlock.

"Yeah, he had a shot hahahahh. Only peanut butter he smashing is the one by the checkout counter at cvs. It's labeled Reese's," another wisecrack while chastising Whitlock.

"Same reason I stayed away. I knew what she was capable of," a user said sarcastically.

Despite receiving hate for his comments, Jason Whitlock didn't issue an apology for remarks s*xualizing Taylor. Instead, the former ESPN and Fox Sports anchor doubled down with more posts on X. Taylor, on the other hand, has not responded to Noushin Faraji's allegations yet while also ignoring Whitlock's remarks.