Skip Bayless’ FS1 show Undisputed returned from a two month hiatus this week after Shannon Sharpe left earlier this summer. The show now features Michael Irvin, Richard Sherman, and Keyshawn Johnson as co-hosts to Bayless in an attempt to truly embrace debate. And a little later in the week, Rachel Nichols joined the desk.
So far, the new iteration of the show has been a refresher on Michael Irvin’s pure unfiltered passion for anything he speaks about, although the whole thing is still finding its footing balancing a rotating cast of co-hosts while still providing Bayless a major platform. But that didn’t stop Stephen A. Smith, Bayless’ former sparring partner on ESPN’s First Take, from taking a small victory lap on his Twitter account over his show getting better ratings.
https://x.com/stephenasmith/status/1697693848095375589
Skip and Stephen A. were the forefathers for this current version of debate embracing back in the day on ESPN. Their dynamic created a hot take machine that served as the inspiration for the litany of debate shows and podcasts that exist today. Bayless left First Take in 2016 to start his own show on FS1, and while Skip and Stephen A. have both thrived on their own, there’s still a friendly rivalry between the two of them. If anything, this tweet is a reminder that Stephen A. is an entertainer with a great sense for drama.