After eight years with Fox Sports, Skip Bayless is expected to say goodbye to the network and “Undisputed” viewers on Friday.
“We’ve just received word that Friday will be Skip Bayless’ last day at FS1,” said Marcellus Wiley, who previously worked at the network. He spoke on Thursday’s podcast.
The Washington Post’s Ryan Glaspiegel was first to report that Bayless’ days at Fox Sports were numbered.
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Neither the 72-year-old nor Fox Sports have spoken about his impending departure since the bombshell report was published on July 15, but Wiley said it was planned.
“What’s interesting about this departure is how anticlimactic it is in that Skip Bayless hasn’t said anything publicly outside of the news and the headlines,” the former NFL player said. “Nothing that would make headlines. And quite frankly, a lot of people internally have said, ‘We’re not going to talk about it either.’ Maybe that’s intentional, maybe that’s a legacy.”
The beginning of the end for Bayless appeared to begin a year ago, when NFL Hall of Fame tight end and “undisputed” sparring partner Shannon Sharpe left the program after several highly contentious disputes.
Sharpe has since moved to ESPN’s “First Take” with former Bayless co-host Stephen A. Smith, and both have watched the platform grow without him.
Sharp said he hopes Bayless will succeed without him, but ratings have been sluggish since he left “Undisputed.”
In March, the show recorded its lowest average viewership since returning from a 2023 hiatus. From Sports Media Watch.
“I don’t know what Skip is going to do,” Sharpe said. “I wish him the best, but it’s not up to me to decide.” [issued a statement saying Bayless wouldn’t be on ‘First Take’] “But ultimately, ESPN makes the decision. Shannon has no say in First Take.”
