Stephen A. Smith admits he wouldn’t have given his seal of approval if ESPN had approached him about re-hiring Skip Bayless.
Bayless’ eight-year run on FS1 is about to come to an end after reports surfaced Monday claiming he will co-host his final show “Undisputed” this summer.
Following the news of his departure from Fox Sports, rumors quickly began to circulate that ESPN (where Bayless previously spent nine years) might look to bring the controversial sports analyst back to its network.
However, that speculation soon ended when ESPN released a statement to distance themselves from their former commentator and instead emphasized that they are satisfied with their current First Take lineup and are not looking to add more.
Smith, who enjoyed a famous partnership with Bayless during their time together on First Take, remains one of the faces of ESPN today and is currently working alongside another of Bayless’s old colleagues, Shannon Sharpe.
Stephen A. Smith admits he wouldn’t have given his seal of approval if ESPN had asked him about re-hiring Skip Bayless
Some have questioned whether the 56-year-old expressed disapproval after being asked by ESPN officials about rehiring Bayless following his departure from FS1.
However, Smith insists that no one from the network contacted him, although if they had, his response would have mirrored theirs.
“Skip Bayless, ESPN did not consult me. Again, they didn’t have to,” he told his former television partner in his Youtube Channel.
‘But to be fair and for the sake of transparency to viewers and listeners, my contemporaries in this business and everyone else… if you had asked me, I would have said the same thing ESPN said.
‘No more Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith together as partners, working opposite each other on a talk show. No more.
“And I’ve said it before, there’s no negativity or shame against Skip Bayless. I’ve moved on.”
Bayless will leave FS1 this summer, but ESPN has already distanced itself from rehiring him
Smith admits he would have given the same answer about bringing back his former TV co-star.
Smith previously mentioned that he and Bayless have not spoken to each other for a long time after the latter left ESPN to join FS1 in 2016.
However, despite the lack of contact, he still wishes his former colleague the best as he looks for a new position.
“But, as I have said on many occasions… I am not against my colleagues and contemporaries, and certainly not against my friends,” he continued.
‘Being on First Take and wanting to be number one doesn’t mean I wanted Skip Bayless to fail, it doesn’t mean I wanted to see him out of the business.’
