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Skip Bayless’ former co-host Stephen A. Smith is coming to his defense after Bayless was named in a bombshell lawsuit. On Sunday, a former Fox Sports hairdresser sued the network for sexual harassment after she claimed Bayless and another Fox Sports exec harassed her during her time there.
According to the woman, Bayless offered her $1.5 million to get in bed with him.
Noushin Faraji, who says she worked at Fox Sports from 2012 through last August, made a series of troublesome allegations in the 42-page lawsuit obtained by Front Office Sports. Fox, Fox Sports, FS1, FS2, FOX Sports EVP Charlie Dixon, Bayless and FS1 host Joy Taylor are listed as defendants in the lawsuit filed on Friday.
In the suit filed in Los Angeles, Faraji alleges that Dixon, the head of content for FS1, grabbed her buttocks at a birthday party in West Hollywood. When she relayed the encounter to Taylor, the Fox host allegedly told her to “get over it,” according to the suit.
The woman claims Bayless offered $1.5 million to hook up with him.
After starting work on the Undisputed morning show starring Bayless, the suit alleges that he began giving Faraji “lingering hugs and kisses on the cheek while putting his body against hers and pressing against her breasts.” The single mother alleges she repeatedly told Bayless she was not interested in him and did not “date at work”. She also claims she told Bayless she was suffering from ovarian cancer, after developing issues with her left ovary, in an effort to halt his advances.
Instead, Bayless became more aggressive over the years, according to the suit. He allegedly offered Faraji $1.5 million to have sex with him–and claimed he could “change” her life. The suit also claims Bayless accused Faraji of sleeping with Shannon Sharpe, his co-star on Undisputed.
On his YouTube show, Smith said that he doesn’t think Bayless is guilty of the allegations because he is too cheap to pay $1.5 million to hook up.
“The Skip Bayless I know has a hard time giving away $15. He’s one of the cheapest people I know.”
“All I could tell you is that it’s not the Skip Bayless I know, but obviously this is a legal matter he’s going to have to deal with because this situation doesn’t appear to be going away,” Smith continued. “The people that I’ve spoken to in the last 24 hours that have some knowledge about [Faraji] say that she’s meticulous with her details and she’s going to chronicle things and that’s how she operates. I don’t know her. I know Skip and I’m very, very heartbroken that he finds himself in this situation being accused of these allegations. But I can’t be all over the airwaves being irresponsible and attaching truth or guilt.”
Stephen a smith reacts to former FS1 hairstylist Noushin faraji suing skip bayless for sexual harassment and also reacts to Joy Taylor and exec Dixon being in the lawsuit. pic.twitter.com/pTyzCQ0CdH
— joebuddenclips/fanpage (@Chatnigga101) January 7, 2025
Bayless has yet to comment on the allegations.