ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith has sounded off on his current relationship with former coworker Skip Bayless.
For four years, Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless co-hosted the “First Take” program on ESPN2. Bayless was on the show for its first nine years of existence (2007 to 2016) before departing for FS1, and Smith joined the program in 2012.
While Smith and “First Take” continue to deliver strong ratings at the Worldwide Leader in Sports, Bayless is a free agent following his stunning departure from FS1 last month. For eight years, Bayless hosted the show’s “Undisputed” program.
During an appearance on Cris Carter’s “Fully Loaded” podcast, Stephen A. Smith provided an interesting update on his relationship with Bayless. Despite their roller-coaster four-year run together on television, Smith claims that the two are hardly on speaking terms.
“We’ve only spoken once over the last year, a year and a half or so. We don’t speak much anymore. He got upset over something he thought I said to JJ Redick, and he went on his podcast and attacked me for about 45 minutes. And then I flew to California and approached him face-to-face, and we resolved that issue.
I’m never gonna speak against him per se, but our relationship admittedly hasn’t been the same since that moment. But it doesn’t mean I don’t love him; it doesn’t mean that I wish anything negative upon him because I don’t. He’s just going in a different direction, that’s what he chose to do and it’s cool.”
Though the point of “First Take” and “Undisputed” was for Bayless to engage in passionate debates with Smith and Shannon Sharpe, respectively, it’s widely known that things often got personal as well.
Also Read: RUMOR: Skip Bayless Is Starting His Own Show With Popular Rapper Lil’ Wayne
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Sharpe and Bayless had a heated conversation during an episode of “Undisputed” in Dec. 2022 when discussing Tom Brady and the struggling Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Sharpe, a reputed Brady critic, took issue to Bayless insulting his Hall of Fame career.
Stephen A. Smith Destroyed Skip Bayless In Ratings War
It’s widely believed that FOX’s decision to move on from Skip Bayless largely stemmed from his show drawing a fraction of the viewership numbers that Smith has garnered at ESPN.
Bayless and Smith may have been coworkers for four years, but it became a competitive rivalry for ratings when the former left ESPN for FS1 in 2016. And sure enough, Smith won the viewership battle with relative ease.
Losing Sharpe, who left the network in 2023, proved to be a big blow for Bayless and his show. The ratings dropped considerably after Sharpe’s departure, and his move to ESPN was the hook, line and sinker in the Smith-Bayless ratings battle.
Also Read: Skip Bayless Reveals Truth Bomb On Why He Never Received “Farewell Sendoff Show” From FS1
