Former NBA star and media personality Gilbert Arenas was one of the first to comment on Joy Taylor’s departure from Fox Sports following the announcement that the company would not renew her contract.
The Athletic wrote on Tuesday (July 15) that Taylor’s contract expiration was a part of the cancellation of FS1 shows, Speak, Breakfast Ball, and The Facility. As news broke, Arenas revealed he had been “courting” Taylor for months now behind the scenes to sign with his media company, which includes his popular podcast, Gil’s Arena.
On the No Chill Gil Summer league livestream, Areans praised Joy Taylor, saying, “Joy’s a great host. We’re looking at her for the football side. We’ve been talking behind the scenes for a while now.”
Taylor brings deep experience to any broadcast. She launched her national TV career on Undisputed alongside Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe before co-hosting The Herd with Colin Cowherd. Most recently, she served as an anchor and analyst on Speak, where she guided fast-paced debate and commentary with precision.
As Gil’s Arena grows from cult favorite to cultural player, Taylor’s involvement could be transformative. For her, the departure from Fox Sports doesn’t represent a setback—it’s a pivot toward autonomy, visibility, and ownership in a field still dominated by familiar voices.
Her next move may not just redefine her own trajectory, but also signal the evolution of the sports media space itself.
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