Stephen A. Smith sympathized with Skip Bayless, his former “First Take” co-host, while discussing a lawsuit filed by Noushin Faraji, a former Fox Sports hairstylist, which accuses Bayless and others of inappropriate behavior.
During Monday’s installment of “The Stephen A. Smith Show” on YouTube, Smith said he spoke to unnamed people about Faraji and that he is “heartbroken” for his ex-colleague.
In the 42-page lawsuit, which was first reported Sunday by Front Office Sports, Faraji alleges Bayless offered her $1.5 million to have sex in July 2021 — and that she endured unwelcome physical contact and sexual advances by Bayless for years.
“The Skip Bayless I know has a hard time giving away $15,” Smith said, adding that he “can’t imagine” Bayless doing that. “He’s one of the cheapest people I know … But that doesn’t mean that I have any inside knowledge of this — I don’t. And I’m not going to get involved.”
“… Imagining him in this position is shocking to say the least, and 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 … This person who is a hair stylist, the people that I’ve spoken to in the last 24 hours that have some knowledge about her says that she’s meticulous with her details and she’s going to chronicle things and that’s how she operates.
@hairbynoushin_/Instagram
“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 to anything.”
Smith added he didn’t know any information concerning the lawsuit.
“I haven’t been in that building in for over 20 years,” he said. “I don’t know any details or anything like that. I don’t know what happened.”
Smith also explained that Bayless “doesn’t socialize with people” and he’s very regimented.
“I also feel it’s important that if you know people, or you think you know people, and you’ve had a longstanding relationship with those people, that it’s not a crime for you to say the person I know … the person I’ve worked with — in his case for four straight years from 2012 to 2016 doing ‘First Take’ … the person that I’ve seen really, really trusts almost no one and doesn’t expose himself to anybody,” Smith said.
Bayless has yet to publicly address the lawsuit.
Faraji alleges that when she and others came forward to report the wrongdoing, Fox retaliated against them, while the accused were protected and inexplicably promoted.
The lawsuit also lists Fox Sports hosts Joy Taylor and Charlie Dixon, an Executive Vice President of Content, for FS1 as defendants.
“We take these allegations seriously and have no further comment at this time given this pending litigation,” Fox said in a statement Monday.