Skip Bayless will reportedly not be getting invited back into the ESPN fold this summer, according to Front Office Sports. Bayless departs FS1 later this summer, with the date of his final Undisputed show not set yet. Co-host Shannon Sharpe left after the 2023 NBA Finals. Sharpe went to ESPN, where he quickly found success as Stephen A. Smith's debate partner during the NFL season. His departure from FS1 also allowed him to build his media profile outside of TV appearances, with his Club Shay Shay podcast becoming one of the biggest weekly podcasts on YouTube. Bayless can now follow a similar exit plan.
From the moment FS1 announced that Skip Bayless was leaving their network, he was linked to an ESPN reunion. He left the network in 2016 after nearly three decades. He helped pioneer the sports debate show as a panelist on the Dick Schaap-hosted show The Sports Reporters in 1989, and again with Cold Pizza and First Take in the 2000s. The latter launched the television career of Stephen A. Smith, who's since developed into the face of ESPN and recently asked for a contract extension that makes him one of the highest-paid personalities in all of journalism.
Skip Bayless Is Not Reuniting With ESPN
Skip Bayless's departure from FS1 comes after years of declining ratings for Undisputed. The ratings only got worse when Shannon Sharpe exited the network last year. FS1 attempted to change the format of the show by bringing in a rotating cast of characters, but the ratings still sagged. Fans have long called Bayless's gimmick outdated. He built part of his career around criticism of players. His most infamous target is LeBron James, who has never publicly responded to any of Bayless's critiques. That type of hot take content makes for good social media posts. However, it is not what all fans want to see, which is why LeBron James and JJ Redick's own Mind The Game podcast performed so well in its brief run.
Skip Bayless is also reportedly not on the best of terms with both Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe. Though he did his part in helping to grow their media careers, they have both surpassed him, and now they work together on ESPN's flagship show. Adding a third man who both stars of the most popular show on the network have personal issues with is a risk that most networks would be unwilling to take, and ESPN appears to be uninterested in rocking the boat.