Fox Sports, Skip Bayless sued by former hairstylist alleging sexual battery, retaliation

A hairstylist who worked at Fox Sports for over a decade filed a lawsuit Friday alleging longtime show host Skip Bayless made unwanted sexual advances toward her and offered her $1.5 million for sex. 

Noushin Faraji, who filed the lawsuit in the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles County, also accused FS1 executive vice president of content Charlie Dixon of groping her and accused Fox host Joy Taylor of creating a hostile work environment through discrimination on the basis of race/national origin and disability. The lawsuit is filed against Fox, Bayless, Dixon and Taylor. Faraji is suing for sexual battery, a hostile work environment, failure to prevent harassment, negligent supervision, hiring and retention, retaliation and wrongful termination.

“Fox’s failure to prevent harassment perpetuated a misogynistic, racist, and ableist workplace where executives and talent were allowed to physically and verbally abuse workers with impunity,” the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit also accuses Fox of failing to pay minimum wages and overtime wages and asks that it be certified as a class action.

“We take these allegations seriously and have no further comment at this time given this pending litigation,” Fox said in a statement.

Bayless did not respond to a request for comment Monday. The Athletic reached out to Taylor’s management company but did not receive an immediate response.

Faraji worked as a hairstylist at Fox part time from 2012 to 2016 and full time from 2016 to 2024. In the 42-page suit, she alleged that Bayless propositioned her for sex multiple times, including offering her $1.5 million to do so after she shared a cancer scare she experienced with him in hopes, she said, he would stop the inappropriate behavior out of pity. She also accused him of verbal harassment and inappropriate physical contact during haircuts.

“He would give her lingering hugs after each haircut, putting his body against her own, pressing against her breasts. He then began to kiss her on her cheeks,” the lawsuit states.

Faraji alleged Dixon groped her during Taylor’s birthday party in 2017. Dixon “used his position of power to coerce women into having sex with him and used it as justification to grope Ms. Faraji,” the lawsuit says. A female former Fox employee, who is kept anonymous, is cited in the suit as having told Faraji in 2023 that her contract was not renewed because she refused to have sex with Dixon. There are multiple allegations throughout the lawsuit of female employees facing retaliation after reporting sexual harassment.

“These repeated incidents reinforced an atmosphere where speaking up seemed futile and dangerous,” the lawsuit says.

In at least one instance, Faraji made Taylor aware of the uncomfortable interactions with Dixon but alleges Taylor brushed off the concerns, according to the lawsuit. Faraji alleged Taylor was given her role as a moderator on “Skip and Shannon: Undisputed” after having an affair with Dixon. 

Faraji also accused Taylor of mocking her accent and complaining about Faraji humming, which the lawsuit says is “an involuntary subconscious coping mechanism for (Faraji’s) diagnosed PTSD.” 

Upon the cancellation of “Undisputed” on Aug. 2, 2024, Faraji was removed from Fox’s hairstylist schedule. While she said she had worked on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” for five years and “Speak” for one, she said Fox told her the company only had the budget to employ one hairdresser across all three shows on which she worked. 

“Fox systematically reduced her work schedule and ultimately terminated her employment by removing her from the schedule entirely, using fabricated business necessities as a pretext,” the lawsuit says. 

(Photo: Robin Alam / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)