As Skip Bayless prepares to leave FS1 amid Undisputed’s struggle with dismal ratings, it appears a reunion with ESPN is unlikely based on recent comments from the network.
Skip Bayless, a prominent figure in sports media, owes much of his rise from regional pundit to household name to ESPN’s national platform. While his impressive résumé as an award-winning columnist for The Dallas Morning News, Los Angeles Times, and Chicago Tribune initially attracted ESPN’s attention, Bayless reached new heights when he co-hosted what eventually became First Take in 2007.
In 2012, Stephen A. Smith joined Bayless, and together they delivered highly entertaining television for four years. In 2016, Bayless transitioned to FS1, co-hosting Undisputed alongside Shannon Sharpe. However, when Sharpe left the show last summer, Undisputed experienced a significant ratings decline, averaging less than 50,000 viewers per episode earlier this year, compared to First Take’s average of about 500,000 viewers.
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On Monday, The New York Post confirmed FS1’s decision to part ways with Bayless after eight years. The final episode of Undisputed featuring the 72-year-old host will air later this summer.
Given Bayless’s declining influence and the show’s poor performance, many believe retirement might be his next step. Some speculated about a potential return to ESPN to reunite with Stephen A. Smith, but a spokesperson for ESPN dispelled these rumors in a conversation with Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports.
It seems clear that ESPN is not considering a reunion with Bayless, marking the end of an era for the outspoken commentator and leaving his future in sports media uncertain.
