Skip Bayless seems to have distanced himself from Stephen A. Smith following a series of personal and professional disagreements, signaling a rift between the two once-close colleagues. The tension reportedly began after Bayless made controversial comments about Shannon Sharpe’s NFL career during an episode of Undisputed on FS1 in December 2022. The heated exchange was one of the factors leading to Sharpe’s eventual departure from the show last year.
Stephen A. Smith, the co-host of First Take on ESPN, reached out to Bayless after the incident to express his disappointment. As Smith explained on Cris Carter’s Fully Loaded podcast, he believed Bayless had crossed the line by attacking Sharpe personally. “I thought he was wrong about Shannon,” Smith said. “I thought what he did to Shannon was flagrantly wrong. And I called him, and he never reached back out. So, I stopped reaching out.”
Smith further explained that this wasn’t the first time he had taken issue with Bayless’ approach. He referenced past instances where Bayless had made personal attacks on other athletes, including Troy Aikman and Chris Bosh, calling the latter “Spice Bosh.” Smith admitted to having told Bayless directly, “You don’t say what you said about Troy Aikman… You don’t come at [Carter] like that… You don’t have to do that.”
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Despite reaching out to discuss the matter, Bayless never returned Smith’s call, leading to a noticeable cooling in their relationship. According to Smith, they have only spoken once in the past 12-18 months. “We don’t speak much anymore,” Smith said, acknowledging the shift in their dynamic. He added that they had one face-to-face meeting in California to resolve a separate issue, where Bayless had taken offense to something Smith had said to JJ Redick on First Take. Bayless later addressed the issue on his podcast, criticizing Smith for nearly 45 minutes.
While the two resolved that particular conflict in person, Smith acknowledged that their relationship has never fully recovered. “I’m never gonna speak against him per se, but our relationship admittedly hasn’t been the same since that moment,” Smith said. “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.”
The tension between the two is particularly notable given their long history together. Smith and Bayless were the faces of ESPN’s First Take for years before Bayless left in 2016 to join FS1 and launch Undisputed alongside Shannon Sharpe. Their on-screen chemistry and fiery debates helped make First Take one of the most-watched sports talk shows on television.
However, following Sharpe’s exit from FS1 last year and his eventual move to First Take, Bayless has been co-hosting Undisputed with a rotating panel of commentators, including Keyshawn Johnson. As of last month, Bayless has also left FS1, further adding to the uncertainty about his future in sports media.
The once-strong bond between Smith and Bayless now appears to be fractured, with both men acknowledging the distance but avoiding public feuds. Whether their relationship can be fully repaired remains to be seen, but for now, it seems they are heading in different directions both personally and professionally.
