Fox Sports is about to lose one of its most prominent personalities, as it was reported on Monday that longtime provocateur Skip Bayless is going to leave FS1 and the show that he’s starred on for years, Undisputed. Bayless has been the face of the show ever since he left ESPN in 2016, and after the departure of Shannon Sharpe and the use of a new format where Bayless is no longer as prominent of a voice, the 72-year-old is now on the way out.
There is an obvious question to ask in this: Could a return to the Worldwide Leader in Sports be on the horizon? Bayless and Stephen A. Smith were the faces of First Take for years prior to the former’s departure, and in that time, Smith has turned into the most ubiquitous presence at ESPN. They’ve apparently maintained a good relationship, even with some bumps in the road, but despite that, Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports heard directly from the network that a reunion is not in the cards.
“We are set with the current First Take rotation, and wish Skip the best on his future endeavors,” a spokesperson from ESPN told McCarthy.
As FOS noted, Bayless pushed for ESPN to hire Smith as a foil on First Take back in 2012, which helped bring him back into the fold at the network after he was let go in 2009. They were a formidable duo for years before Bayless left, and in the time since he moved to FS1, Smith has become the face that runs the place at ESPN, going as far as getting ESPN to hire Bayless’ longtime sparring partner on Undisputed, Sharpe, after his high-profile departure from the show.
Of course, it is very easy for ESPN to say they have no interest in hiring Bayless before he actually leaves FS1, and who knows if Smith decides to throw his weight around in either direction here — remember, he is in the middle of contract talks with ESPN, and has made clear that he could leave the network and pursue other interests if they don’t appease him. It’s definitely something worth monitoring once Bayless officially hits the open market, in large part because it’s very hard to see him ending up anywhere else if he decides to stay in sports media.