It was big news last year when two of the most prominent women in sports media, Joy Taylor and Taylor Rooks, announced they would be co-hosting a podcast.
That show, named Two Personal, was designed to give both hosts an outlet to discuss their lives as sports media professionals and as women going through the rollercoaster of dating and everyday life. Just a few months later, Rooks quietly departed the show, and it relaunched with new branding, hosted by Taylor only.
While ditching a podcast project is almost as common as launching one in the media these days, many took note of the timing of Rooks’ departure. The move came shortly after Taylor was named in a messy lawsuit filed against FS1, executive Charlie Dixon, as well as Taylor and other talent at the network. Taylor was “sidelined” for weeks in the late winter after the lawsuit was filed, and later argued in a court filing that the defendant’s claims of emotional distress were due to external factors, not Taylor’s behavior.
In an appearance on The Breakfast Club last week in New York City, Taylor explained why she took over Two Personal and clarified that she and Rooks remain “best friends.”
“Taylor is a very, very busy woman. That’s all it is,” Joy Taylor said.
“She has Amazon, Thursday Night Football, she’s now doing the NBA with them. She has her show. It’s a big commitment to do a podcast as well. So we had long conversations about how we were going to make it work, but she has — a good thing, the best in the business, booked and busy — but she just has too much on her plate.”
As host of Two Personal, Taylor goes far beyond the podcast’s initial focus. While she still conducts interviews with sports and entertainment stars about love, sexuality, and cultural issues, Taylor also posts solo clips offering her opinions on politics and the day’s news.
In recent weeks, Taylor has discussed the U.S. bombing of Iran, deportation raids, and the controversy surrounding the new album cover of pop star Sabrina Carpenter.
Knowing Taylor wanted to put out so much content, the pair of original hosts couldn’t find a way forward to collaborate and meet their own standards within Rooks’ increasingly busy schedule.
“Her and I both, we believe in excellence,” Taylor explained. “And if you do something halfway because you don’t have the bandwidth, then it’s not gonna be what it needs to be. I had the bandwidth and wanted to continue doing it, but she, there’s only 24 hours in a day.”
Taylor continues to host Speak on FS1 as she attempts to negotiate a new contract with the network. In the meantime, she is taking Two Personal and running with it by herself.
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.