Sportscaster Taylor Rooks relieves $2.1M in medical debt for Gwinnett residents

Popular sports journalist and broadcaster Taylor Rooks is using her platform to level the playing field when it comes to meeting the needs of underserved communities, including those in her former hometown of Gwinnett County.

The Georgia native, now on the West Coast, is building on personal experiences to support families facing financial hardship. Through the Taylor Rooks Foundation, her latest initiative will eliminate $2.1 million in medical debt for 1,805 residents in Gwinnett County, where she grew up in Suwanee.

“I’ve seen firsthand how expensive simply staying healthy can be,” Rooks, the host of Amazon’s “NBA on Prime,” told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“My sister has diabetes, so our family understands the ongoing financial weight that can come with medical care, prescriptions, supplies and treatment. Beyond my own family, I’ve seen how quickly one unexpected medical issue can completely change someone’s financial reality,” she said.

“I want everyone to understand that medical debt doesn’t come from irresponsibility. It comes from people trying to survive, take care of themselves or take care of the people they love.”

At 33, Rooks has built a prominent career in sports media. She is the host and executive producer of “Taylor Rooks X” for Bleacher Report, and also reports for TNT Sports and NBA on TNT.

She told the AJC she chose to donate to Gwinnett County residents because the community played a central role in shaping her life.

“It was important to me that one of the foundation’s earliest major initiatives poured directly back into the community that poured so much into me first. I’ve lived in Gwinnett since I was 6 years old. I went to elementary, middle and high school in Gwinnett. Before college, it was the only home I had ever known. My family still lives there. It’s where I learned who I was.”

One donation recipient thanked Rooks in an X post. “Can confirm they paid off a medical bill I had and I had no idea why until now. I appreciate you @Taylor Rooks!”

Medical debt makes up most of the consumer debt that ends up in collections and is the cause of most bankruptcies, according to the Roosevelt Institute, which advances progressive policies similar to those of former president Franklin Roosevelt and his wife, Eleanor.

People living in the South are more likely to accrue medical debt than residents in other parts of the country, the institute stated. Roughly half of Southerners hold medical debt, compared to one-third elsewhere.

Rooks shared her appreciation for growing up in Georgia and remains deeply grateful for her Southern roots.

“There’s a warmth to it. A sense of hospitality, community and care for one another that stays with you forever. People show up for each other. Neighbors know each other. There’s a human closeness that shaped the way I see the world and the way I want TRF to operate.”

The foundation, she said, supports the causes she’s passionate about, including real-life pressures people carry every day — such as healthcare, utility bills, financial literacy, women’s wellness and Black and brown advancement.

“I think everyone deserves to live the life they dream of,” Rooks shared. “My causes champion that. I interview athletes every day who grew up around financial stress, healthcare concerns or instability, and most of them have a story about someone who helped them or believed them. It helped me understand how much even a small amount of help can change someone’s trajectory.”