Stephen A. Smith admits he wouldn’t have given his approval if ESPN had consulted him about the possibility of rehiring Skip Bayless.
Bayless’ eight-year career at FS1 will soon come to an end after rumors surfaced Monday that he would co-host his final show, “Undisputed,” this summer.
Following news of his departure from Fox Sports, rumors quickly swirled that ESPN, where Bayless previously worked for nine years, was looking to bring the controversial sports analyst back to their network.
That speculation was quickly put to rest, however, when ESPN issued a statement distancing itself from its former commentator, instead stressing that it is happy with the current First Take lineup and has no plans to expand it.
Smith, who famously collaborated with Bayless during their time at First Take, remains one of the faces of ESPN and currently works with another old colleague of Bayless: Shannon Sharpe.
Stephen A. Smith admits he wouldn’t have given his approval if ESPN had consulted him about the possibility of rehiring Skip Bayless
Some are wondering if the 56-year-old expressed his disapproval after ESPN officials consulted him about rehiring Bayless following his departure from FS1.
However, Smith claims that no one from the network approached him. If they had, his response would have been similar to theirs.
“Skip Bayless, ESPN did not consult with me. Again, they didn’t have to,” he told his former TV partner on his Youtube Channel.
“But in all fairness, and in the interest of transparency for the viewers and listeners, my contemporaries in this business and everyone in between… if they had asked me, I would have said the same thing ESPN said.
‘Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith working as partners, opposite each other on a debate show, is over. It’s over.
“And this isn’t the first time I’ve said it, there’s no negativity or shaming thrown at Skip Bayless. I’ve moved on.”
Bayless will leave FS1 this summer, but ESPN has already distanced itself from his rehiring
Smith admits he would have given the same answer about bringing back his former TV partner
Smith previously indicated that he and Bayless have not spoken in a long time, after Bayless left ESPN in 2016 to join FS1.
But despite the lack of contact, he still wishes his ex-colleague the best in his search for a new job.
“But as I have said many times… I am not against my colleagues and contemporaries, and certainly not against my friends,” he continued.
“Just because I was on First Take and wanted to be number one doesn’t mean I wanted Skip Bayless to fail, and it doesn’t mean I want to see him out of the business.”