Public curiosity is a weird thing. One minute you’re watching Joy Taylor anchor Speak on FS1, delivering a sharp-tongued take on why the Cowboys are falling apart, and the next, your Twitter feed is blowing up with people asking who did Joy Taylor sleep with. It’s the kind of invasive, blunt question that usually follows a viral photo or a cryptic Instagram story. Honestly, it’s also the kind of question that highlights how difficult it is for women in sports media to exist without their personal lives becoming a bigger headline than their professional analysis.
Joy doesn't lead a secret life, but she isn't exactly posting every dinner date on a billboard either.
The internet has a habit of "shipping" her with every athlete she interviews. If she laughs at a joke made by a guest on the set, the comments section immediately decides they're a couple. It’s relentless. But if you actually look at the record—the confirmed relationships, the public breakups, and the legal filings—the list is much shorter than the rumor mill suggests.
The Reality of Joy Taylor's Marriage to Richard Giannotti
To understand Joy's history, you have to go back to 2016. This wasn't a rumor. Joy Taylor married Richard Giannotti, a former professional baseball player who later transitioned into a career as a financial advisor. Giannotti spent years in the minor leagues, playing for teams like the Cedar Rapids Kernels and the St. George RoadRunners.
They seemed like a sports media power couple. He understood the grind of the industry; she was a rising star at Fox Sports. They tied the knot in a beautiful ceremony in Fort Lauderdale.
But things didn't last.
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By 2017, the marriage was over. They divorced quietly, and neither has spent much time trashing the other in the press. It was a standard, albeit short-lived, marriage between two high-achieving professionals. People often dig for scandal here, but there isn't much to find. They grew apart, and Joy moved on with her career, which was hitting a massive upward trajectory at the time.
The High-Profile Engagement to Earl Watson
If the marriage to Giannotti was low-key, her next major relationship was anything but. In 2018, Joy Taylor started dating Earl Watson. For those who don't follow the NBA closely, Watson is a former point guard who went on to coach the Phoenix Suns.
This relationship was very public.
They were frequently seen together at events, and by September 2018, Joy was sporting a massive engagement ring. It looked like she was headed back down the aisle. Fans were invested because they were both big names in the basketball world. It made sense.
Then, things got complicated.
By late 2019, the engagement was off. This wasn't just a "we decided to be friends" situation. While they both kept the specific reasons for the split relatively private, the sudden disappearance of the ring and the deletion of photos from social media told the story. Since then, Watson has been linked to others, and Joy has been fiercely protective of her space.
Why People Keep Asking Who Did Joy Taylor Sleep With
The obsession with Joy's dating life often boils down to "proximity." Because she works in sports, she is constantly surrounded by wealthy, famous men. This creates a vacuum where gossip flourishes.
Take the rumors about her and various NFL players.
Every few months, a "blind item" or a TikTok gossip account will suggest she’s seeing a specific quarterback or a retired wide receiver. Usually, these rumors are based on nothing more than a "like" on a photo or a friendly exchange on a podcast. It’s lazy speculation.
There was a period where fans were convinced she was dating her coworkers. Working alongside big personalities like Colin Cowherd or LeSean McCoy leads to natural chemistry on screen. Fans mistake professional rapport for romantic intimacy. It happens to almost every female broadcaster in the industry.
The Misconception of the "Groupie" Narrative
It’s important to call out the underlying bias here. When people search for who did Joy Taylor sleep with, there’s often an ugly implication that she used relationships to get to the top.
That’s nonsense.
Joy Taylor started in local radio in Miami. She hosted her own morning show, The Ticket, and worked her way up through 790 AM. She didn't "date her way" into a national TV gig; she talked her way there by being better than the guys sitting next to her. Her brother is Jason Taylor, a Hall of Fame defensive end for the Miami Dolphins. She grew up in the locker room environment. She knows the world better than most, which is exactly why she is so careful about who she is actually seen with.
How Joy Taylor Handles the Rumor Mill
Joy is savvy. She knows that responding to every "who is she dating" tweet only gives the trolls more oxygen. She uses her platform to talk about sports, business, and women's empowerment.
Rarely, she’ll drop a hint.
She has spoken on podcasts about the difficulties of dating as a high-profile woman. She’s mentioned the "ego issues" some men have when their partner is more famous than they are. She’s also been candid about the fact that she enjoys her independence.
For a while, she was linked to a few non-athletes, including people in the entertainment production space. But she hasn't confirmed a "serious" boyfriend since the Earl Watson split. She seems to be enjoying the "single and thriving" era of her life, focusing on her brand, her podcast Maybe I'm Crazy, and her travel.
The Most Persistent Urban Legends
Let’s look at some of the names that frequently pop up in the search results alongside Joy’s name, despite a total lack of evidence:
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- Lamar Jackson: This one comes up purely because Joy has been a vocal defender of Jackson’s playstyle and contract negotiations. There is zero evidence they have ever been more than professional acquaintances.
- Devin Booker: Because she lived in Phoenix for a time and was engaged to the former Suns coach, people weirdly tried to connect her to the star player. Again, no proof.
- Various FS1 Colleagues: The "workplace romance" rumor is a staple of the internet. It’s almost always false.
The reality is that Joy Taylor is a 37-year-old woman who has been legally married once and engaged once. In the world of celebrity gossip, that’s actually a very short list.
Why the Public is So Invested
We live in a culture that loves to humanize (or deconstruct) the people we see on our screens every day. When Joy posts a vacation photo from Greece or Tulum, and there’s a second glass of wine in the frame, the internet goes into FBI mode. They look at reflections in sunglasses. They check the tags of every person at the resort.
It’s exhausting.
Joy has mastered the art of "soft launching" aspects of her life without giving away the details. She might show a hand or a silhouette, but she keeps the names out of the headlines. This is a survival tactic. In the sports world, once a woman is officially "tied" to an athlete, her professional opinions are often viewed through the lens of that relationship. If she criticizes a team her boyfriend plays for, she’s "bitter." If she praises them, she’s "biased."
By keeping the answer to who did Joy Taylor sleep with a mystery, she protects the integrity of her work.
Navigating the Noise
If you’re looking for a definitive "leaked" list of Joy Taylor’s partners, you’re going to be disappointed. Outside of Richard Giannotti and Earl Watson, her private life remains exactly that: private.
The takeaway here isn't just about who she dated. It’s about how she’s managed to stay at the top of a male-dominated industry for over a decade while ignoring the constant hum of tabloid speculation.
Next Steps for the Curious:
- Follow her work, not just her IG: If you actually want to know what Joy Taylor is about, watch Speak on FS1. Her analysis of the NBA and NFL is legitimately some of the sharpest in the game.
- Listen to "Maybe I'm Crazy": This is her podcast where she gets much more personal than she does on network TV. You’ll get a better sense of her personality and her views on relationships here than in any Reddit thread.
- Respect the Boundary: Understand that "celebrity" doesn't mean "total public access." The most successful people in media are those who know what to share and what to hold back. Joy Taylor is a pro at that balance.
Ultimately, Joy Taylor’s career is defined by her voice and her hustle, not by the person sitting across from her at a dinner table. While the rumors will likely never stop—that's just the nature of fame in 2026—the facts remain simple. She’s been married, she’s been engaged, and everything else is just noise from people who have too much time on their hands.
Stay focused on the stats, not the stories. It’s what Joy would do.
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Actionable Insight: When researching celebrity dating histories, always cross-reference "rumors" with official statements or court filings (like divorce or marriage records). Most viral "hooks" about who a celebrity is sleeping with are based on social media engagement bait rather than documented relationships. Focus on verified milestones—marriages, engagements, and public appearances—to get the real story.