ESPN’s stance on rehiring Skip Bayless revealed ahead of ‘Undisputed’ co-host’s FS1 exit
ESPN has made its position known on the rehiring of Skip Bayless after it was reported that the ‘Undisputed’ host will leave Fox Sports this summer.
Bayless was part of the hit series “First Take” from 2007 to 2016, where he and Stephen A. Smith became household names and popularized the series’ debate format.
But as reported by Front Office SportsESPN has no interest in bringing Bayless back once he becomes a free agent.
“We are done with the current ‘First Take’ rotation and wish Skip the very best in his future endeavors,” an ESPN spokesperson told the site.
Monday is the New York Post reported that Bayless’ time at Fox Sports would soon come to an end after an eight-year career there.
Skip Bayless will reportedly leave Fox Sports later this summer after eight years with the club.
Bayless’ departure from Fox Sports comes just over a year after co-host Shannon Sharpe left
His departure from Fox Sports comes just over a year after longtime co-host Shannon Sharpe left the network to join ESPN.
Since then, ‘Undisputed’ has had a rotating cast with co-hosts including Keyshawn Johnson, Michael Irvin, Paul Pierce, Rachel Nichols and Michael Irvin.
Undisputed, which has struggled to maintain ratings in recent years, will reportedly remain on the air after Bayless’ departure.
Colin Cowherd, another former ESPN player who now hosts “The Herd” for Fox Sports, could also become a free agent as his contract expires next year.
Sharpe’s last ‘Undisputed’ appearance was in May 2023, after tensions between him and Bayless had risen.
One particular source of friction was Bayless’ flippant tweet in the aftermath of Damar Hamlin’s on-field cardiac arrest in early January 2023: “The NFL is undoubtedly considering postponing the remainder of this game — but how? This late in the season, a game of this magnitude is crucial to the outcome of the regular season … which suddenly seems so irrelevant,” Bayless wrote — to widespread criticism.
Bayless would later claim during a discussion about the former NFL star quarterback that Sharpe was jealous of Tom Brady.
‘I felt at that moment that he [Skip Bayless] “He had lost all respect for me, he had no respect for me anymore,” Sharpe later said on the Stephen A. Smith Show.