Skip Bayless has repeatedly said he told his wife Ernestine on their first date that she would "be second in my life to my work." As bizarre as that always seemed, it became even less cute Sunday with a lawsuit filed against Bayless and other current and former FOX employees.
Noushin Faraji — a former hairstylist for FOX in various capacities from 2012-2024 — filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles, California against the network, Bayless, on-air personality Joy Taylor and Charlie Dixon, the executive vice president of content.
A.J. Perez and Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports obtained the 42-page lawsuit. We'll highlight some of the major takeaways below, focusing primarily on Bayless. Any bolding is done to highlight particularly notable moments in the suit. This is not the entirety of the suit.
2. "As Ms. Faraji was standing near the bar, facing the crowd, Mr. Dixon approached her. He asked the bartender for a drink and then placed his arm on Ms. Faraji’s lower back. He asked how she was doing, if she was having fun, and if she wanted a tequila shot. Ms. Faraji felt very uncomfortable by his unsolicited touching and responded: “No, thank you.” Mr. Dixon then moved his hand lower and started rubbing her body and grabbing her buttocks. Ms. Faraji was mortified but quickly thought to fake an incoming call to escape from the situation."
3. "Ms. Faraji did not know who to turn to, but as she knew Ms. Taylor was sleeping withMr. Dixon, she turned to her. Surprisingly, Ms. Taylor responded to “get over it” and explained that she herself only had her job because of Mr. Dixon and that Ms. Faraji only had her job because Ms. Taylor requested her. She warned that Mr. Dixon could take both away."
4. "Several years into Ms. Faraji’s tenure at Fox, a female talent member (“Anonymous”)hired Ms. Faraji to do her hair at her house for an awards show. Anonymous asked that Ms. Faraji meet her for lunch first. There, Anonymous told Ms. Faraji that she would no longer be with Fox as Mr.Dixon told her that she would need to have sex with him if she wanted to renew her contract, but she had refused. Anonymous further conveyed that: (i) Mr. Dixon was doing this to other women talent; (ii)she should warn Ms. Taylor to be careful; and (iii) a talk show host had recently reported Mr. Dixon."
5. "After the reporting by the talk show host fell on deaf ears, Mr. Bayless began requesting that Ms. Faraji give him a haircut once a week in the makeup room. Ms. Faraji did as she was told as Ms. Porretti required Ms. Faraji to give haircuts to talent. Initially, during the haircuts, Mr. Bayless would discuss his life, his work at Fox, and other innocuous matters. However, soon after the weekly haircuts started, Mr. Bayless began finding excuses to touch Ms. Faraji. He would give her lingering hugs after each haircut, putting his body against her own, pressing against her breasts. He then began tokiss her on her cheeks. Ms. Faraji was uncomfortable by the physical contact and would make excusesto leave right after the haircuts (e.g., “I need to pick up my son from school.”)."
6. In approximately summer 2017, while Ms. Faraji was giving Mr. Bayless a haircut, he told her that she was “voluptuous.” As English is her second language and she was not familiar with the word, Ms. Faraji asked what that meant. Mr. Bayless seemed amused and told her to “figure it out.”Ms. Faraji later asked a coworker what the word meant and was mortified. Mr. Bayless then started being more aggressive and direct in his advances. Ms. Faraji continuously declined, stating that she didnot date at work as she is a single mom and needed her job.
7. "In approximately summer of 2018, Ms. Taylor was moved from Undisputed to The Herd with Colin Cowherd. Ms. Taylor again requested Ms. Faraji to do her hair. Colin Cowherd (“Mr. Cowherd”) also requested Ms. Faraji to do his hair. Thus, every day, Ms. Faraji would do Mr. Bayless’shair for Undisputed and then would do Ms. Taylor and Mr. Cowherd’s hair for The Herd. Throughout her entire tenure at Fox, Mr. Cowherd was professional and respectful to Ms. Faraji and her coworkers."
8. "Over the years, Mr. Bayless continued to make advances on Ms. Faraji (e.g., lingering hugs, kisses on the cheek, and inappropriate comments that he could “change” her life if she acquiesced to having sex). Ms. Faraji would always make excuses regarding her son, politely change the subject, or make a joke—anything to keep Mr. Bayless appeased and her job safe."
9. "In July 2021, Ms. Faraji developed issues with her left ovary and was advised it could be cancer. With a fourth biopsy scheduled, she explained her situation to Mr. Bayless, hoping that he would take pity on her and cease his advances. Instead, Mr. Bayless told her that he wanted to be with her. Ms. Faraji panicked and began rambling that there were cameras everywhere, that she has a child, and that she does not want him. Mr. Bayless then grabbed her hands, began kissing them, and offered her $1.5 million to have sex. Ms. Faraji made an excuse to leave."
10. "Approximately one week later, Mr. Bayless made another advance at Ms. Faraji. Ms. Faraji responded: “Skip, stop, you have a wife.” Mr. Bayless responded: “Aren’t you Muslim? Doesn’t your dad have three to four wives?” Ms. Faraji responded that her father was dead, and when Mr. Bayless looked taken aback, she made an excuse to leave."
11. "On April 12, 2022, Mr. Bayless texted Ms. Faraji: “I’m good today.” The text meant that he would not be coming in for hair or makeup."
12. "On April 13, 2022, Mr. Bayles texted Ms. Faraji: “Not comfortable coming down there. Just do what you need to do. It’s ok.” Ms. Faraji asked him what was wrong. He replied: “Same stuff. Worse.” Ms. Faraji, concerned about her own job, walked to Mr. Bayless’s fitting room to see if everything was okay. Mr. Bayless answered the door, and before Ms. Faraji could speak, he began to angrily accuse Ms. Faraji of “f***ing” Mr. Sharpe. Ms. Faraji tried to explain that she did not have any feelings towards Mr. Sharpe and had never slept with him or any other talent member or employee at Fox, but before she could speak, Mr. Bayless demanded she come to his car after the show. Ms. Faraji responded that she could not come sit in his car as it was inappropriate. Mr. Bayless grew irate and then left."
13. "On April 16, 2022, Mr. Bayless called Ms. Faraji. Ms. Faraji did not answer the call because she was scared. She then called him back 10 minutes later. On the call, Mr. Bayless again angrily accused Ms. Faraji of “f***ing” Mr. Sharpe and said that he could tell from her body language that she was “f***ing” him. Ms. Faraji tried to explain that she was kind to all talent and that included laughing and engaging in conversation. Ms. Faraji then asked if he was yelling at her because she refused to go to his car. Mr. Bayless answered that she shouldn’t talk to him like that. Ms. Faraji replied that she could respond however she wanted. Mr. Bayless then angrily stated that he heard her talk to Mr. Sharpe about her “vagina.” Ms. Faraji knew this to be untrue and was embarrassed and angry. Ms. Faraji responded that even if she had been dating Mr. Sharpe, which she wasn’t, it shouldn’t matter at all because she only had a professional relationship with Mr. Bayless.""
14. "On April 17, 2022, Ms. Faraji arrived in the makeup room (approximately 12 feet x 30feet containing three makeup and hair sections), turned on a recording device, put it on the table, and waited for Mr. Bayless to arrive. In the meantime, two of Ms. Faraji’s coworkers, who were privy to Mr. Bayless’s actions, went into other talent members’ rooms (adjacent to the makeup room) to listen in to the conversation. Mr. Bayless then arrived in the makeup room for Ms. Faraji to cut his hair in accordance with his regular schedule. Mr. Bayless knew that the makeup room was always recorded, and clearly states: “This room is bugged.” During their conversation, Mr. Bayless stated that he would hate for her to lose her job, but she can’t be “doing a big thing with my archrival.” She responded by reiterating that being polite to Mr. Sharpe is part of her job. Mr. Bayless responded: “Bulls***.Bulls***. Bulls***. I am calling bulls*** on you.” Mr. Bayless then warned that he doesn’t want her to lose her job over this. Ms. Faraji responded that she wasn’t going to lose her job because she is a great hairdresser. Mr. Bayless responded: “I have love for you, and I have for six years, and you hurt me, and you are ruining this.” Ms. Faraji again responded that she must be polite to all talent. Mr. Bayless then implied that if he stopped requesting her, it would affect her job. Ms. Faraji responded that she is scheduled to work every morning at 5:45 AM, and if he would like to get his hair done, he is welcome to sit in her chair. Mr. Bayless continued to threaten her job. Ms. Faraji knew that he was trying to pressure her into having sex with him, but she kept repeating that she was a professional that had to be kind to all talent."
15. "On August 21, 2023, Kim Beauvais (“Ms. Beauvais”), Fox Sport’s Executive Vice President of Human Resources and Business Operations, and Ms. Druker asked Mr. Bayless for a meeting. When Mr. Bayless arrived, Ms. Beauvais and Ms. Druker told Mr. Bayless not to worry and that his job was safe. The two then started interrogating him on whether he had a romantic relationship with Ms. Faraji and whether she had offered him sex. When Mr. Bayless responded truthfully—that she had never offered him sex—they again told him not to worry and that his job was safe, heavily implying that they wanted him to say otherwise. This circular conversation took place for approximately 20 minutes. Following the meeting, Mr. Dixon called Mr. Bayless and asked why he didn’t just lie. Mr. Bayless responded that he cares about Ms. Faraji. Mr. Dixon responded: “Who cares? I can get you a better-looking hairstylist.”"
16. "In late-August 2023, Mr. Bayless learned that Mr. Sharpe and Ms. Faraji had never been involved romantically. Subsequently, Mr. Bayless pulled Ms. Faraji aside for a conversation.During this conversation, Mr. Bayless apologized for accusing her of having sex with Mr. Sharpe, disclosed details regarding his August 21, 2023 meeting with Human Resources, and further disclosed that Mr. Dixon wants Ms. Faraji fired because she knew too much and was talking. Mr. Bayless also disclosed that he believed Mr. Dixon kept his wife on Fox’s payroll to keep her silent about his affairs with Fox’s employees. Mr. Bayless asked Ms. Faraji out to dinner to continue the conversation, but Ms. Faraji declined, stating that she cannot do anything that even gives an inference of a non-work relationship because she wants to keep her job."
17. "On October 20, 2023, Mr. Bayless told Ms. Faraji that Mr. Dixon had threatened his job, because he continuously requested Ms. Faraji, stating that he would rather have another “pretty girl” on Undisputed over Mr. Bayless anyway."
18. "On December 21, 2023, Mr. Bayless told Ms. Faraji that he still loved her and confided that Mr. Dixon was the one who had told him that Ms. Faraji was sleeping with Mr. Sharpe. Mr. Bayless then again tried to have sex with Ms. Faraji. Ms. Faraji’s diary entry for that day states: “I said Skip I’m only interested in working with you and having friendship relationship with you and nothing else, he said you have no idea you are losing everything, I don’t know what he means by that and I hope he doesn’t take me off the show, it makes me sick to my stomach, and it’s really hard for me to work like this, I hope god help[s] me because Fox is supporting people like Charlie and Skip.”"
19. "On December 17, 2023, one of Ms. Faraji’s coworkers was indefinitely taken off schedule after she took offense to bullying and racist comments made by a Fox NFL host."
20. "Over the next few months, Ms. Faraji made it known amongst the department that, if needed, she would speak out on her coworker’s behalf. Ms. Porretti responded: “If it’s so hard for you here, why don’t you quit?” Ms. Porretti also later commented: “I don’t regret anything I did to[coworker] or [different coworker].” This was especially cruel as she knew one of the coworkers had tried to commit suicide."
21. "On approximately June 24, 2024, a talent member disclosed to Ms. Faraji that Undisputed was going to be cancelled, and that Mr. Bayless was going to be fired. Ms. Faraji grew internally anxious that Mr. Dixon was trying to get her fired."
22. "Later that week, on Monday, Ms. Faraji gave Mr. Bayless a haircut. During the haircut,Mr. Bayless told her about a new opportunity he was expecting outside of Fox. Ms. Faraji asked if he would still be coming back to Undisputed, and he replied “Of course.” Mr. Bayless then told Ms. Farajit hat he fantasizes about having sex with her and asked how much money it would take for her to have sex with him. Ms. Faraji stated that she already refused $1.5 million and that her answer wasn’t goingto change. Mr. Bayless replied, “The more you say no the more I want you.”"
23. "On August 2, 2024, Undisputed was cancelled, Mr. Bayless was fired, and Ms. Faraji was taken off schedule. Ms. Porretti told Ms. Faraji that there was no longer a need for her. That same day, Mr. Bayless asked Ms. Faraji to walk him to his car on his way out. Ms. Faraji felt that she had nochoice but to walk him to his car. Once at his car, they noticed Mr. Dixon in the parking lot looking at them. Mr. Bayless told Ms. Faraji: “F*** Charlie. If you want to sue them, go for it. F*** them. Charlie is not going to sleep tonight. He’s scared of what I’m going to tell you. F*** him.”"
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Obviously, that's a ton. It is not the entire lawsuit. Not even close. The full lawsuit — which can be read here — paints a picture of a "Mad Men" type culture at FS1. Clearly, even post "Me Too," there are still plenty of powerful men who think they are above the rules.
It's always been my belief that the best strategy for dealing with someone like Bayless — who has made a career off of saying ridiculous and often problematic things — is not to amplify him. If you quote tweet something he posts on X and dunk on him, it doesn't have the effect you think it does. He's made millions of dollars because he has no shame and not only does he not mind if you disagree with him and voice your disagreement on social media, he prefers it. It amazes me how people still interact with Bayless on social media like this is an honest actor.
With that said, it's important to amplify something like this. The alleged behavior of Bayless — among others — is unthinkable.
Faraji has filed an individual complaint, alleging sexual battery; hostile work environment (sex/gender); hostile work environment (race/national origin); hostile work environment (disability); failure to prevent harassment; negligent supervision, hiring and retention; retaliation and wrongful termination.
She's also filed a class-action complaint alleging a failure to pay minimum wages; a failure to pay overtime wages; a failure to reimburse business expenses; a failure to pay all wages upon separation; a failure to furnish accurate itemized wage statements and unfair, unlawful or fraudulent business practices.
We'll see how this lawsuit ultimately plays out, with Faraji's representation demanding a jury trial. She would seem to have a strong case, and if whoever ultimately presides over the trial — assuming there isn't a settlement — agrees, it could be the undoing of Bayless and others.
