ESPN has shared its stance on re-hiring Skip Bayless after it was reported that the ‘Undisputed’ host will be leaving Fox Sports this summer.
Bayless was a part of the hit show ‘First Take’ from 2007 to 2016, when he and Stephen A. Smith became household names and popularized the show’s debate format.
But as reported Reception sportsESPN is not interested in bringing Bayless back once he becomes a free agent.
“We’re prepared with the current ‘First Take’ rotation and wish Skip the best in his future endeavors,” an ESPN spokesperson told the site.
On Monday, the The New York Post reported that Bayless’ time at Fox Sports would soon be coming to an end after eight years there.
Skip Bayless is reportedly leaving Fox Sports later this summer after eight years there.
Bayless’ departure from Fox Sports comes just over a year after co-host Shannon Sharpe left.
Her departure from Fox Sports will come just over a year after her longtime co-host Shannon Sharpe left the network to join ESPN.
Since then, ‘Undisputed’ has featured a rotating cast of co-hosts including Keyshawn Johnson, Michael Irvin, Paul Pierce, Rachel Nichols and Michael Irvin.
However, Undisputed, which has struggled to garner ratings in recent years, will reportedly continue to air even after Bayless’ departure.
Colin Cowherd, another former ESPN player who now hosts “The Herd” for Fox Sports, could also become a free agent soon, as his contract expires next year.
Sharpe’s last show on ‘Undisputed’ was in May 2023, and it came after tensions between him and Bayless had escalated.
One particular source of friction was Bayless’ flippant tweet following Damar Hamlin’s on-field cardiac arrest in early January 2023: “The NFL is undoubtedly considering postponing the remainder of this game, but how? At this point in the season, a game of this magnitude is crucial to the outcome of the regular season… which suddenly seems so irrelevant,” Bayless wrote, drawing much criticism.
Bayless would later claim that Sharpe was jealous of Tom Brady during an argument over the former NFL star quarterback.
“I felt at that moment that he (Skip Bayless) had lost all respect for me, he had no respect for me,” Sharpe later said on the Stephen A. Smith Show.