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Straight Shooter with Stephen A.
Stephen A's Take: Stephen A and Tori Cooper discuss outrage on social media towards Joy Taylor.
00:19:01
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- [00:00]
Stephen A. Smith
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- [00:07]
Unknown
Clouds are wholly unable to support the weight of an adult human.
- [00:10]
Stephen A. Smith
What's happening?
- [00:10]
Unknown
Furthermore, clouds are not numbered. Even if you procured a jetpack and searched, you'd find no cloud numbered nine. However, at that altitude, you'd likely befriend a flock of migrating snow geese. Geese who'd encourage you to leave your 24.7geico motorcycle claims insurance behind as they would take you in and even share their dinner of crickets and clovers with you. GEICO assumes no liability for any indigestion that may occur from a clover cricket dinner. GEICO expertise for your motorcycle what's up everyone?
- [00:31]
Greg Rosenthal
It's Greg Rosenthal and I'm teaming up with the King of Spring, Daniel Jeremiah. He requires me to say that we're going to be bringing you 40s and free agents, the only podcast you'll need this NFL draft season. From DJs mock drafts to my top 101 free agents, we'll have it covered for you with all new episodes every Thursday keeping you up to date as we head to the NFL Draft. Listen to 40s and free agents starting on March 6th on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.
- [01:04]
Tori Cooper
We all know where we gotta get started on this particular day, and that's getting started with the lawsuit. The recent lawsuit filed against Fox, Fox Sports and several current and former personnel there, including my former colleague, the one and only Skip Bayless. The 42 page document filed by a woman named Nusheen Faraji, a former hairstylist for the company, cites several instances of workplace misconduct. The suit names several defendants, including Fox Sports Executive Vice President Charlie Dixon and host Joy Taylor. Faraji alleges Dixon grabbed her behind at a birthday party and when she relayed the encounter with Joy Taylor, the Fox host allegedly told her to, quote, get over it. And that is where I feel compelled to begin today. There's been a lot of reaction to this story all over social media. Has it been about Charlie Dixon? Not that much. Has it even been about Skip Bayless? Not that much at all. Has it been about Fox Sports overall? Really, not that much at all. It's all significantly paled in comparison to the level of vitriol, venom, insults and beyond aimed at one Ms. Joy Taylor. And that's why I want to bring on my next guest. I shouldn't call her a guest. She's a journalist. She's a former news anchor. In Atlanta. She's a personally, personal good friend of mine and she's a damn good friend of the show over the last few days. And I'm talking about the one and only Tori Cooper. She's back here with yours truly right now. Tori, how are you? How's everything going?
- [02:38]
Stephen A. Smith
I'm doing well. How are you, Steven?
- [02:40]
Tori Cooper
Listen, I had to bring you back because I wanted to get your thoughts on what I just brought up about Joy Taylor. And as you've watched all of this unfold, I know you like myself. We've read the 42 page, you know, allegations, you know, Rightford allegations against Joy Taylor, against Charlie Dixon, against Skip Bis, specifically pertaining to Joy Taylor. I want to know what your thoughts are about all the heat that she's been taking over the last few days.
- [03:13]
Stephen A. Smith
Why is such a focus on Joy Taylor? First of all, she's not being accused of sexual battery. She's not being accused sexual harassment. She's being accused of engaging in sexual behavior to earn her spot that she has on Fox Sports. Now the problem I have with this, Stephen, is this continues to be the issue in this industry is when a man gets there in any industry really. When a man gets there, he earned it. When a woman gets there, she slept her way to the top somehow. And so that's issue number one. Issue number two is that we're just going to completely negate her experience and the fact that she is more than qualified to be in this role. And if you just read this lawsuit at face value, and this is my problem with these lawsuits is people just take it as fact. These are allegations at the end of the day. And when you look at this lawsuit and you comb through it at face value, they paint her as a bartender who had little experience, who was experience in radio and was not qualified for Fox Sports and she was working as a fill in anchor and a bartender at the same time. I worked two jobs to get into this industry. I worked behind the scenes first. So we don't earn these spots lightly. And that's where I get really frustrated with people on social media who are trying to come for this woman's experience and credibility to be considered for this role. So let's just go back into the history really quick into her experience since we want to talk about it. She worked behind the scenes as an executive producer. That's someone who writes the shows for the people you see with the mic one. Then she worked her way into a slot to be a co host on that show, on that radio show in Miami. Then on top of that, she took the show to number one. She took the show to number one. And then after that, then she makes her way to California, is essentially doing what appears to be freelancing and it's filling in and working to get that spot. And eventually she gets, she gets called on. Many people right now, Stephen A. Would say I'm not even qualified to sit next to you. But it's not always about experience. If it was about experience in this industry, then so many people wouldn't even have the spots they have. It's about a lot of other intangibles. But for this specific issue, this woman was more than qualified. She's been a credible Fox Sports commentator and she's doing her job. So that's the big issue. Another issue on social media that I'm saying that's very upsetting is that people are saying, you know, this is why women shouldn't be in sports. This is why when we, we don't want women involved in this because we're going to be faced with these allegations. And this is, give us our world back. This is not your world. You're not going to claim the sports environment. And this is the problem that I have because at the end of the day, this is a form of entertainment that anyone can share. Not anyone, but people can share their take on it and people can be engaged in this topic. Lastly, this is the main, the main issue I have with this. This is another woman who's of minority descent who's also claiming that another woman who's a minority did this. So I know that the female sports anchors of the world right now are all cringing because they're like, wow. Oh, you just continue to feed right into this, the same narrative that we don't deserve to be up here at the, at the desk with these men who love live, breathe and sleep this topic. So now it's always about us sleeping with people to get to the spot we're in. And then now another woman's going to feed right into that with these allegations. So it doesn't help we're up against as women in this industry to have allegations like this circulating around. But this also. She could file her own lawsuit. She could. These are. There's nothing, nothing has been proven. So that's where I'll leave it.
- [06:46]
Tori Cooper
And here's the thing people need to understand. That's one of the reasons that you might not be hearing anything from her, nor Skip Bayless or anybody else, because they can turn around and sue. And they got there. I Mean, I mean, think about the allegations that have been thrown out against them. Think about, you know, the need that they may feel to retaliate. And as a result of that, I think that is even further requirement for people to be careful. But let me tell you why I wanted you on here, Tory, because I have to admit, I'm pretty pissed off now. There's a. There's a few people's names I'm not going to mention because, damn it, they ain't worth it, okay? And I get that, but there's a few men out there that are acting like, you know, this is the perfect excuse to justify why we make the argument that women don't belong in the industry, which is incredibly an. Agree. An incredibly egregious thing to say, okay? They'll look at any woman sitting in a host chair or any woman that's a reporter out there or any woman that has to walk into the locker room and all of a sudden their credibility is being questioned. Might think. What I'm more appalled at by rather even that is the women all over social media that are allowing it to happen. And that's why I wanted you on the show today, because I said I'm not going to speak about it, just from the male perspective. I'm going to have a female in front of me that I can bounce this off of to check me in case I'm wrong about this. Correct me if I'm wrong, because I don't spend a lot of time looking all over social media, but I'm looking at an abundance of women, and I'm saying the allegations. I understand what the allegations are. The allegations of Joy Taylor slept with Charlie Dixon and she boss and she did it while she was married. And. Well, first of all, the marriage part is her business. It's nobody else's. The boss situation obviously, is dicey. Make no mistake about it. You got a girl that was supposed to be a best friend that's supposedly diming her out right now. That's incredibly unfortunate, but one could easily argue it's really not about your guilt or innocence. It's about how guilty I make you look, forcing you to capitulate to the demands that I'm making civilly. We can get into that a little bit later. But what I find most egregious, most egregious, Tory, is the abundance of women out there who are laughing, who are pointing the finger at Joy Taylor with a profound level of guilt, as if they know even when they throw in the word allegedly, they do it with Smirks on their face, sort of dismissive. Because in this business, we know how to speak with our body language, not just with words. And not only that, they're using it as an excuse to question her credibility. Now, I don't know what happened. You don't know what happened. We don't know what level of truth or falsehood exists with the allegations that Nosheen Faraji has thrown in the direction of the executive at Fox Sports, Skip Bayless, Joy Taylor, or anybody else. But let me tell you what I do know. I know that I've seen Joy Taylor on TV a lot over the years, and I think she's pretty damn good. I think she's ready. I think she's very capable. I think she's worthy of the position that she has on Fox Sports. I think her podcast with Taylor Rooks is a damn good podcast. I think her credentials in this business have been established. I did an interview just yesterday. I was being interviewed by a guy by the name of Sid Rosenberg, a longtime conservative radio host. And he was telling me how Jason Taylor, the former Miami Dolphin, that Hall of Famer, her big brother, her brother, rather, he had called to see if he could help, if Sid could help her get a job in the business, and he ended up hiring her. And obviously, like you pointed out, she produced when she had the opportunity, and that's what created other opportunities for her. So I'm looking at it, Tori, and I'm saying, wait a minute here. Am I watching this correctly? Are there an abundance of women out there that are using this as a license to question her credentials based off of having you not. Have you not watched her over the years on television? And if you're going to do that, okay, why would you. Why would you want to do that? Even that? That's where I'm at with it, Tory. That's my problem. The fact that people are using this as an excuse to question her condrentors. If she just got the job yesterday or last week or last month or something, that would be one thing. She's been on TV for years showing her capability, and now all of that is being ignored because of allegations. That's where I'm at with it, Tory, where are you?
- [11:18]
Stephen A. Smith
There's the court of public opinion and then there's real court, right? And again, these are allegations. And using. Having women, you know, essentially, I mean, it's. To me, it seems like it could be coming from a place of jealousy, like, oh, finally put a target on her back. Now we can say she wasn't qualified because not only is she beautiful, but now we could say she wasn't qualified and didn't earn her spot. And I'm not shocked by it. People are. Okay. There's one thing I do want to talk about, and it is your looks. Your looks play into this. When you are beautiful, you are up against a different battle at times in this industry. I mean, people are always going to try to say that your looks played into this. Your looks do help you in this. We cannot ignore that.
- [12:02]
Tori Cooper
Pause, pause, pause, pause. For one thing, one thing. Your looks or how you present yourself. Right question. Which one I'm asking.
- [12:14]
Stephen A. Smith
No, it's about how you present yourself. But the looks do contribute to whether or not you have an on camera look or not. If you ask any news director right now, they are going to say, does she pop through the screen? Does she make me pay attention? I'm gonna decide in 30 seconds whether or not I want her on my show. Can she grab an audience? That's what they're asking. So, yes, your looks are part of it, but it's about your presentation. And, you know, but there's other parts of this that I, you know, these allegations that do matter, that I believe should set precedent and hopefully change. Because when we come on and talk about these issues, there's an opportunity for change. I do believe that. And in this realm, I would say some of the things that I've seen that are disappointing, and if they are true, then maybe there's an opportunity for change. Personally, I would not be going out to drinks with my bosses. We don't know if that happened. That is one of the allegations that was made. But on principle, I'm not going out to drinks with my exec executives. I'm not going out to parties with them for a number of reasons. One, I do not want to be talked about in my newsroom like that. Why was she out to drinks with them? What is she doing? I don't want them knowing my personal life. I don't want my bosses knowing my personal life. Number two. And then number three, now you're opening yourself up to rumors to spread about you that look like this. So this is why you cannot. You, you have to strike a right balance when you're going to take a professional person into a public environment outside the professional work setting. Because now you're opening yourself up to these obligations, these types of allegations. So one, watch how you're moving. Watch how you carry yourself in the workplace, because this is what you're going to open yourself up to potentially, especially if you're the one in the highest spot, a hairstylist is going to potentially come for you in this way. Now, mind you, again, these are allegations. I just want to continue to point that out because it's essential to this conversation. So that's. That's one of the main issues I wanted to bring up, is not taking your bosses out to lunch and dinner and opening yourself up to this type of conversation. And three or two sending the wrong signals. You got to make sure you're not sending the wrong signals, Stephen.
- [14:16]
Tori Cooper
A dressing provocatively, drinking, speaking in a certain way. That. That's unprofessional. That's more informal than formal. All those things definitely contribute to it. And I don't disagree.
- [14:28]
Stephen A. Smith
You talked about the attire and the room for change. And if you're okay with this, I would love to talk about that piece to it, because please take one of the things that talked. One of the things that people have talked about is the sports environment is a more lax environment. You can wear a little bit. You can be more yourself. You can, you know, test the waters a little bit about what you're going to wear. Personally, I've been disappointed in some of the stuff I've been seeing women wear in the sports environment. And not just the sports environment. Meteorologists. They're also wearing clothes that I'm not excited about. Because here's the thing. Don't you want to pay attention to what I'm saying? Don't you want people to pay attention to what I'm saying? My skill set. Don't be a distraction in the workplace, all right? You want people to care about what you're saying.
- [15:15]
Tori Cooper
Tori Cooper. Tori Cooper. Tory Cooper. Fair enough. But this is the Stephen A. Smith show, so you know where I'm going. I'm gonna ask this question. I need specifics. I mean, I'm not talking about names. I'm talking about when you talk about you don't like the stuff that people wear in the industry. I need examples. I need examples. The ladies out there need examples.
- [15:39]
Stephen A. Smith
Perfect example. Crop tops, showing your midriff on air. I don't care to see your belly button. We're not at the beach, but I see it on air in the sports world. Okay, that's number one. Number two, Cleveland, your boobs are out. You're distracting people. The main thing is don't be distracting. But it's not just what the lack of clothing, it's also the choices of clothing, too. The patterns are distracting. I'm seeing people wearing Cheetah print. I'm seeing people wearing pinstripes. I'm seeing people wear all kinds of stuff that is completely distracting to the viewer. The point of television that you are supposed to learn, learn early on, is don't be a distraction to the viewer. Let them pay attention to what you're saying. But too many times I'm seeing people want, you know, inviting in to be a distraction. It looks like they want to be a distraction, honestly, and it looks like they want the attention at times. And what are we here for? We're here to be professionals, so let's show up that way so people can focus on your skill and what you have to say. Otherwise, you're inviting this type of behavior. Right. In my opinion.
- [16:43]
Tori Cooper
Is there any truth to the notion that people have speculated about that? You have some places, I can assure you it's not Disney, I can promise you that. But that there's some truth to the notion that you may have certain networks that encourage that, directly or indirectly, for females to feel the need to dress in a certain provocative way. Have you or have you heard of any ladies in the industry expressing the notion that this is what their bosses wanted?
- [17:21]
Stephen A. Smith
Yes, I've heard that. I heard that that's the environment that you're in. And it's especially. So here's the thing. Consultants matter. This is why you're supposed to have consultants come, consult you on your wardrobe, consult you on your makeup. And if these consultants are continuing to lean into a culture of, oh, yeah, test the waters, yeah, wear that bright color, show your, you know, yes, they are contributing to it. At the end of the day, that's what I've heard for sure. But hearsay is hearsay, right?
- [17:49]
Tori Cooper
I guess for me, going back to my original point, it's not about what you say sometimes, it's about how you say it. So if you've had women all over social media that were pissed off because Joy Taylor finds herself in this position, and that's what they're oozing, I understand it if you have women who were of the opinion. No, this is just an allegation. It's not facts, such as yourself, such as me and what have you. And they said, hey, you know what? Benefit of the doubt, innocent until proven guilty, et cetera. And by the way, she's incredibly qualified because we watched her for years and she knows what she's doing. I understand that. What I have a problem with is the Joy, no pun intended, females over social media appear to be having in bringing her credibility in the question. Not understanding or not being sensitive to the plight that ladies have fought for decades to gain and elevate their level of credibility. That's number one. And number two, the men who will remain nameless, because I really don't. Oh. As much as they deserve it, I just don't want to give them that kind of attention because they're sorry asses. Don't deserve it, but are talking in such a way that they're acting like women don't belong in this industry. I can't believe they're getting away with stuff like that. I'm going to give you the last word on this, Tory. Go ahead and respond to that.
- [19:22]
Stephen A. Smith
There's room for change. Don't be a distraction. The women on social media who are coming for Joy Taylor, it looks like it's coming from a place of jealousy. So that says something about you. And the men who want to act like we don't belong at the table, look at our credibility. How about you do some research on our background? Don't just look at. Look at the way I look. How about you go look into my experience and then we'll talk about it. But I'll leave it there.
- [19:48]
Tori Cooper
I got you. Tori Cooper. Appreciate your time. Thank you so much. Thanks for being on the show with me today. I'll catch with you later. Right.
- [19:54]
Stephen A. Smith
All right. Have a good day.
- [20:02]
Greg Rosenthal
What's up, everyone? It's Greg Rosenthal, and I'm teaming up with the king of spring, Daniel Jeremiah. He requires me to say that we're going to be bringing you 40s and free agents, the only podcast you'll need this NFL draft season. From DJs, mock drafts to my top 101 free agents, we'll have it covered for you with with all new episodes every Thursday, keeping you up to date as we head to the NFL Draft. Listen to 40s and free agents starting on March 6th on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.
- [20:33]
Stephen A. Smith
What's up, everyone?
- [20:34]
Tori Cooper
Julie Swerbinks here along with former NHL player Nate Thompson.
- [20:38]
Unknown
We're doing a new podcast together. Here we go.
- [20:40]
Stephen A. Smith
The name Energy Line with Nate and jsb.
- [20:43]
Unknown
Each week we'll get together and talk about hockey life.
- [20:47]
Stephen A. Smith
All topics are fair game, right?
- [20:49]
Tori Cooper
Exactly. And you'll never know who will drop by to join us.
- [20:52]
Unknown
Julie is pretty well connected. She has text threads going that you wouldn't believe.
- [20:57]
Tori Cooper
Listen to Energy Line with Nate and.
- [20:59]
Stephen A. Smith
JSB on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.