Sports media veterans Taylor Rooks and Joy Taylor are launching a podcast together next month.
Two Personal will see Bleacher Report and Prime Video’s Rooks team up with Fox Sports 1’s Taylor for a new digital show. They announced the launch of Two Personal with a preview video on their YouTube channel.
“I hope people walk away from the show feeling like they are not alone,” Rooks said. “And not in a dramatic way … but really being a woman is a very shared experience. And I want women specifically to hear the show and feel seen and heard.”
Taylor said she wants the show to feel serious rather than bringing to life a whiny “comment section.”
Still, while the hosts agreed they hope to wander past the limitations of purely sports talk, they do expect to bring their experience as sports journalists into their conversations.
“What makes Taylor and I unique is that we are, at our training level, journalists,” Taylor said. “I like knowing that what I’m saying has been properly researched before I ever get to my opinion. Because that’s what I already do every day.”
Rooks explained in the intro video that podcasting as a medium has become “dangerous” and changed culture. The hosts want Two Personal to bring more nuance to the space.
“I do believe it would be better everywhere if we understood how to talk to one another,” Rooks said.
While many in sports media in 2024 have a podcast, the rollout of Two Personal, the tone established with the show’s set, and the thoughtfulness of both hosts is a great start for Rooks and Taylor.
The announcement in Complex magazine featured a hint at big-time guests, so the conversations won’t solely be from the hosts’ perspective. Rooks and Taylor certainly have wide networks to pull from at Amazon, TNT Sports and Fox.
It’s unclear what digital production company the duo is pairing with to bring Two Personal to life. The first episode drops March 6.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.