Skip Bayless was named as a defendant in a bombshell lawsuit alleging a toxic workplace environment at FS1, but you wouldn’t know it by listening to his podcast.
Bayless promised to attack controversy when he left FS1 to build his own digital brand. He promised to be more unfiltered and honest now that he’s untethered from TV networks and executives. So naturally, you would expect him to address the lawsuit filed by former Fox Sports hairstylist Noushin Faraji where it’s alleged Bayless offered her $1.5 million to have sex with him, right?
“Just get this over with. Just pay my public price now,” Bayless says at the start of his podcast episode released Monday afternoon. “Accept my on-camera fate now. Burn myself at the YouTube stake for all the world to see right now GET IT OVER WITH!”
But it wasn’t about the lawsuit that names Bayless, FS1 host Joy Taylor and network executive Charlie Dixon as defendants. It wasn’t about the allegations of sexual harassment and toxic workplace culture. No, with all of the damning headlines and reports bearing his name, Bayless just wants to be burned at the stake and pay his public price for being a Dallas Cowboys fan.
The shocking lawsuit was filed last Friday and was first reported on by Front Office Sports Sunday afternoon. Bayless spent the day on social media posting about the NFL, with no mention of the lawsuit or the fact that his name was a trending topic for all the wrong reasons. 24 hours later, Bayless released a 45-minute episode on a podcast that is supposed to be no holds barred and he completely ignored the lawsuit again.
Bayless ignored the allegations, and he ignored people wondering whether this lawsuit is the reason why he unceremoniously departed FS1 last summer. Remember, this is the same Skip Bayless who once got into a physical altercation with Woody Paige over an argument about who has more sex than the other.
No one expected Bayless to come out and confirm or aggressively poke holes in the accusations. But acknowledge they exist and state whether he plans to address them in the future? Yeah, a supposedly unfiltered podcast host vehemently attempting to prove he no longer bows to the corporate overlords of network TV would be expected to at least do that.
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com