Skip Bayless Announces 'Undisputed' Departure, Plans to Pursue New Opportunities

Skip Bayless—a longtime fixture on sports-centric debate shows—announced Friday that he is officially leaving FS1 to pursue other opportunities.

Bayless noted that Friday marked his final appearance on FS1's Undisputed, and added that he is "excited" about what is next in his career after eight years with Fox.

The 72-year-old Bayless is a former sportswriter, but he first rose to national prominence as one of the faces of the daily ESPN debate show First Take, which he was part of from 2004 until his departure for Fox in 2016.

After being the main debate adversary of Stephen A. Smith for much of his time at ESPN, Bayless joined forces with Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens legend and Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe at FS1.

Bayless and Sharpe created Undisputed in 2016, and they enjoyed success together for the next seven years until Sharpe departed the show and FS1 as a whole.

After Sharpe left FS1, he appeared on the Stephen A. Smith Show and said Bayless' "disrespect" led directly to his decision to go elsewhere.

Sharpe suggested that the last straw came in December 2022 when Bayless took personal shots at him during a debate about quarterback Tom Brady. Bayless said, "[Brady]'s still playing at a high level at 45 when you had to stop at 35, that's the point," before adding that Brady was a "way better" player than Sharpe.

Sharpe went on to join ESPN's First Take in 2023, and he has had an expanded role on the show in recent months.

After Sharpe left, Undisputed went on hiatus and returned in August 2023 with a new look and feel.

Former NFL stars Richard Sherman, Michael Irvin and Keyshawn Johnson joined the show, but it felt crowded awkward and chaotic at times, and it never achieved the level of success that Undisputed did when it was only Bayless and Sharpe.

It is unclear what Bayless' next move will be, but Smith recently made it clear that he won't be coming back to First Take, saying: "Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith, together as partners, working across from each other on a debate show, is over. It's been over. This is not the first time I've said it. There's no negativity or shade being shown at Skip Bayless. I have moved on."