After Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe’s departure, Skip Bayless and FS1 encountered difficulties in finding a new co-host to join their lineup. Eventually, they made multiple hires to fill Sharpe’s role.
Fox Sports adopted a model similar to ESPN’s, featuring a rotating roundtable of individuals, including Richard Sherman, Keyshawn Johnson, Michael Irvin, Lil Wayne, and Rachel Nichols.
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Despite the impressive array of talent, “Undisputed” still lags behind “First Take” in the ratings.
Sharpe delivered this harsh message over the weekend, asserting that now that Bayless is no longer at FS1, he will never surpass him in TV ratings again.
“Y’all not going to be better than me and Stephen A. That’s not going to happen. I promise you, that is not going to happen. Ever. EVER,” Sharpe said on Stephen A’s self-titled podcast this weekend.
“Now, if Stephen A. says, ‘Shannon, I want to go in a different direction,’ you all are still not (going to beat us). Because Stephen A. is that dude. If Stephen A. ever decides to leave and turn the reins over to me, you all know I’m that dude. I’m him.”
Skip Bayless, aged 71, became a prominent figure on ESPN when he joined the network full-time in 2004. He played a central role on “First Take” from 2007 until his departure from Fox in 2016. In 2016, “Undisputed” was launched and achieved some success, but it still trailed “First Take” in the ratings.
However, since Sharpe’s inclusion, the gap in ratings between the two shows has widened significantly.
Sharpe had previously expressed that the partnership on “Undisputed” fell apart following Bayless’ on-air comments that belittled his career in favor of Tom Brady.