Fox Sports Anchors Who Found Themselves In Messy Scandals

While news anchors are supposed to give us nothing but the facts, when cameras aren't rolling our beloved arbiters of the truth can also get into quite the mess. From news anchors who were caught cheating to news anchors suffering through tragedy to news anchors doing shady things – the fact is that some of our most trusted faces live totally different lives when they're not on our screens. And sports news is no different.

From Formula 1 to the MLB to the sport that most of our offenders cover, the NFL, Fox Sports has a media empire of anchors who are diligently reporting on every game and event, oftentimes becoming household names nearly as recognizable as the all-star athletes that they cover. But with all of the fame and attention, many of the anchors have also performed less admirably given their spotlight. And amidst recent allegations that look like they will have an impact on many notable names at Fox Sports, we decided to take a look at anchors who have found themselves wrapped up in scandal.

It looks like Skip Bayless' reputation may soon be disputed, given the bombshell news that has emerged from a scandal involving a former hairstylist at Fox Sports. According to People, Noushin Faraji, the former hairstylist, accused Bayless of offering her 1.5 million dollars to have sex with him, as well as him making other "inappropriate comments" to her. Front Office Sports reported that the lawsuit was filed as a 42-page document in Los Angeles that detailed Faraji's time working for Bayless's show, "Undisputed." 

People reported that it began with Bayless asking Faraji to give him a haircut once a week, and it was during that time that he would talk to her about her life, but after a while, the document claimed that "soon after the weekly haircuts started, Mr. Bayless began finding excuses to touch Ms. Faraji."He allegedly gave "lingering hugs and kisses on the cheek while putting his body against hers and pressing against her breasts," and made bold advances despite Faraji telling him that she was not interested in him.

The document also says that after Faraji refused to have sex with Bayless, he texted to tell her he would no longer require her haircuts and perhaps even more bizarrely — though in character for the overly-competitive Bayless — he claimed that Faraji had had sex with his former co-host Shannon Sharpe. Faraji also claimed in the documents that she took her reports to human resources multiple times but was not taken seriously due to her ethnicity. Bayless has so far yet to comment on the incident, but Fox Sports did return a comment to People stating, "We take these allegations seriously and have no further comment at this time given this pending litigation."

Also caught up in Noushin Faraji's lawsuit was FS1 host Joy Taylor, who Faraji claimed slept with fellow Fox Sports hosts in order to advance her career. According to the Daily Mail, Taylor reportedly had sexual relations with network executive Charlie Dixon and with co-host and former NFL player Emmanuel Acho. The lawsuit claimed that Taylor also planned to use her sexual relationship with Dixon to blackmail him if necessary, with a portion saying, "...once Mr. Dixon was no longer useful to [Taylor], she would follow through on her plan to tell the company that he forced himself on her."

Taylor was another embattled broadcaster named in the lawsuit for reportedly telling Faraji to "get over it" when Faraji brought up Skip Bayless and Charlie Dixon's sexual harassment towards her, the latter of whom allegedly grabbed Faraji's butt at a party. People also reported that Taylor told Faraji that Dixon had the power to take either of their jobs away, implying that Faraji should remain silent. And speaking to what Taylor may have internalized when making her own unethical decisions, an anonymous third female talent member at Fox Sports reportedly told Faraji that she, "would need to have sex with [Dixon] if she wanted to renew her contract" (via People). 

The job of reporting the news does get a lot easier if you just make things up. And that's exactly what Fox Sports and Amazon Prime's "Thursday Night Football" host Charissa Thompson admitted to doing. Thompson appeared on the "Pardon My Take" podcast in November 2023 and got a little too comfortable as she openly admitted to often making up quotes as a sideline reporter, saying, "I've said this before, so I haven't been fired for saying it, but I'll say it again. I would make up the report sometimes because A, the coach wouldn't come out at halftime or it was too late and I was like, 'I didn't want to screw up the report,' so I was like, 'I'm just going to make this up."

Thompson said that she felt comfortable with the whole-cloth ad-libs because, "First of all no coach is going to get mad if I say, 'Hey, we need to stop hurting ourselves, we need to be better on third down, we need to stop turning the ball over and do a better job of getting off the field.'" But the pushback on Thompson was swift with journalists across sports media condemning her improvisation. Fellow Fox NFL reporter Laura Okmin posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, "THE privilege of a sideline role is being the 1 person in the entire world who has the opportunity to ask coaches what's happening in that moment. I can't express the amount of time it takes to build that trust." Meanwhile, ESPN broadcaster Molly McGrath posted a cautionary tale on X, writing, "Young reporters: This is not normal or ethical. Coaches and players trust us with sensitive information, and if they know that you're dishonest and don't take your role seriously, you've lost all trust and credibility."

Shannon Sharpe joins his former co-host Skip Bayless on this list, but it's for a scandal that's far more consensual than what Bayless is accused of. According to the New York Post, in September 2024, fans of Sharpe's were shocked to join his Instagram Live feed only to be greeted by the sounds of him and an anonymous woman partaking in sexual relations. Sharpe initially posted on X that his phone had been hacked before deleting the post and admitting that he had mistakenly begun an Instagram Live, blaming his lack of technological know-how for the scandalous mistake. 

Sharpe cleared the air on an episode of his show "Nightcap," where he said, "I threw my phone on the bed, engaged in an activity. I did not know IG live. I've never turned IG live on so I don't know how it works and so all of sudden my other phone started going off." After the initial panic to deny, Sharpe said that he decided to come clean and meet the embarrassment head-on, saying, "My heart sank. I called my agent, I called the agency, I called ESPN and I [thought] just tell them the truth. My phone wasn't hacked. It wasn't a prank. It was me being a healthy, active male." It's quite the scandal, but at least this is one instance of an anchor telling the truth to come clean.

In 2019, Cris Carter exited his Fox Sports anchor position under shady circumstances, and all the quiet surrounding it makes us think that things got messy. According to The Big Lead, FS1's "First Things First" host was upset about not being considered for a position on "Thursday Night Football" and verbally berated his bosses about not being considered for the position. The argument led to a suspension from the network that eventually led to his termination. All that was said was a statement by the network saying, "Cris Carter is no longer with Fox Sports," then offering the case-closed remark of, "There is no further comment at this time." The Big Lead also reported that Carter cleaned out his desk with security guards watching over his shoulder, which is never a good sign.

Carter would eventually get back on camera again as a contributor to the NFL Network's "Good Morning Football," but since his spat with Fox Sports, he has not found any long-term tenure positions in sports media. But it looks like the former player and NFL Hall of Famer has decided to return to the sport, with Florida Atlantic University announcing in 2023 that he joined the football staff as their executive director of player engagement. Hopefully, he'll find more in common with the incoming football players than he had with his commentators back at Fox Sports.