Gilbert Arenas says he’s been courting Joy Taylor for months as she prepares to leave Fox Sports after the cancellation of "Speak." Edit by Liam McGuire, Comeback Media.

Joy Taylor is officially a free agent in sports media.

Fox Sports recently pulled the plug on three showsThe Facility, Breakfast Ball, and Speak — with The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reporting that Taylor wouldn’t be returning to FS1. With her contract up this summer, the parting feels inevitable, especially given the lawsuit filed earlier this year by a former FS1 hairstylist, which named Taylor as a defendant.

And yet, she’s not exactly hitting the open market empty-handed.

Gilbert Arenas, whose Gil’s Arena podcast has quickly grown from a niche YouTube curiosity to one of the more distinctive voices in sports media, says he’s been recruiting Taylor for months. During a recent No Chill Gil Summer League stream, Arenas made it clear he wants her on board.

“Joy’s a great host,” Arenas said. “I know we’re looking at her for the football side. We’ve been behind the scenes talking to her for the last year.”

Arenas also mentioned Paul Pierce, LeSean “Shady” McCoy, and Keyshawn Johnson as names on his radar, though it was unclear whether those conversations were actually happening or just part of the dream board.

“I can tell you this: as [an] underdog, we better move on some of them,” he said. “We can’t just look at this and be like ‘eh.’ Because let’s just say, Shannon [Sharpe] decides to get Keyshawn, Shady McCoy to Nightcap... If Pat McAfee grabs just one of them, that’s a different show. It’s some moves that need to be made because these guys are going to go somewhere and they are going to get a home. And that will change the landscape of shows. I’m already on it as soon as I’ve seen it.”

That urgency tracks. Gil’s Arena has spent the last year growing its reach while staying unapologetically itself. And while Taylor comes from a very different world and background, her potential addition would mark a noticeable evolution.

She spent nearly a decade at Fox Sports, where she started as an anchor on Undisputed and The Herd, and later transitioned to an analyst role on Speak. She’s experienced, and well-versed in steering fast-moving, opinion-heavy conversations. And it certainly helps that her presence could provide Gil’s Arena with something it doesn’t currently have: a seasoned moderator who can command a room without diluting its edge.

More importantly, she’s been looking for something different.

Taylor has hinted at her desire to branch out beyond traditional sports commentary, something that Gil’s Arena might be uniquely positioned to offer. The show is loose, experimental, and unafraid to push beyond the usual debate-show tropes. It’s also talent-first, which is something FS1 has struggled to be, especially in recent years.

So far, Taylor hasn’t said where she’s going. Her only public reaction to all the headlines has been a silent workout video posted to Instagram. But between the behind-the-scenes conversations and the recent on-air shoutout from Arenas, the smoke signals are already there.


What started as FS1 cleaning house could turn into a new chapter for Taylor, one that gives her more freedom, more ownership, and a stage that plays to her strengths without tying her to the same old format.

And if Arenas gets his way, that chapter might just start at Gil’s Arena.

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.