Skip Bayless Won’t Be Pursued by ESPN for ‘First Take’ Amid Rumored FS1 Exit

Joseph Zucker@@JosephZuckerFeatured Columnist IVJuly 16, 2024

Laura Cavanaugh/FilmMagic

ESPN ruled out a reunion between Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith with Bayless reportedly on the way out at Fox Sports.

“We are set with the current First Take rotation, and wish Skip the best on his future endeavors,” an ESPN spokesman said to Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports.

The New York Post’s Ryan Glasspiegel reported Monday that Bayless will be leaving his role on FS1’s Undisputed later this summer.

Bayless and Stephen A. Smith helped to reshape the sports media landscape during their time together on First Take. Debate shows had long been part of the ecosystem in some form. ESPN’s “Embrace Debate” era turned that into an art form, though, and amplified opinion makers in a way they hadn’t before.

ESPN @espnHow the sports media world embraced debate 🗣️

“Up For Debate” is a three-part series that explores the past, present and future of sports debate streaming now on @ESPNPlus 📺 pic.twitter.com/iwyAk3C3PS

Given how Bayless and Smith’s individual careers have evolved since the former’s departure from ESPN in 2016, however, it’s doubtful they’ll ever return to the same table on a regular basis.

The viewership for Undisputed has steadily waned despite changes to the show’s format and supporting cast around Bayless. First Take, on the other hand, has only grown bigger as it increasingly centered itself around Smith.

In the head-to-head battle between the daily programs, a clear winner emerged.

Smith is one of the biggest on-screen stars at ESPN, and his presence extends far beyond First Take. The company reportedly put a contract worth $18 million on the table, only for him to turn it down.

In short, there probably isn’t much upside for ESPN in re-hiring Bayless — or for Smith to lobby for his return — and upending a formula that’s already working. Smith, for his part, downplayed the likelihood of starting the partnership up again when asked on the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show in 2023:

Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show @ultCLEsportsIs a Skip Bayless/Stephen A. Smith reunion in the works?

Full interview w/ Stephen A. Smith: https://t.co/hBLOhw8XUI pic.twitter.com/hsT7ru61bh

McCarthy laid out how Bayless was instrumental in first bringing Smith to First Take in 2012 and that the two “have remained good friends” after going in different directions.

Based on ESPN’s statement, their friendship isn’t enough to bring Bayless back to Bristol, Connecticut.