WATCH: Stephen A. Smith hilariously wears a name tag on ‘First Take’ a day after Shannon Sharpe called him “Skip” on live TV

Sharpe and Smith will appear together on the ESPN show First Take.

WATCH: Stephen A. Smith hilariously wears a name tag on ‘First Take’ a day after Shannon Sharpe called him “Skip” on live TV

Stephen A Smith (L) and Shannon Sharpe (R) (via Imago)

Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe kicked off their television partnership on ESPN’s First Take yesterday. There was a lot of hype around this pairing since it was announced that they would be appearing together on the show. Sharpe previously co-hosted the Fox Sports show Undisputed with Skip Bayless for seven years. He announced that he would not be a part of the show after the 2023 NBA Finals and switched sides to ESPN.

The first episode of this new First Take pairing aired yesterday. Sharpe, after having spent his previous seven years debating Bayless, accidently called Stephen A Smith as ‘Skip’ a couple of times. Smith was not fazed by it however and he asked Sharpe to continue after the fumble. Old habits die hard.

On today’s show, Smith came up with something to help Sharpe remember who he is debating. In a hilarious start to the show, Smith wore a tag with his name on it. “I know it was a hiccup yesterday Shannon. You called me something other than Stephen A. But I got a solution to the problem.” Smith said while putting on his name tag. That ought to help Sharpe remember Stephen A. Smith’s name.

Smith appeared on Sharpe’s podcast recently where they talked about Bayless influence on their respective careers and their relationship with him now. Bayless has new members on his show with Richard Sherman, Keyshawn Johnson and Michael Irvin replacing Sharpe at Undisputed. It will be interesting to see how both the shows perform with new pairings.

Also Read: “They left me for dead!” Stephen A. Smith reveals the main reason why he wanted Shannon Sharpe on First Take while recalling how the industry cut him off in 2009

Shannon Sharpe still has good words for Skip Bayless after leaving Undisputed

Shannon Sharpe (L) and Skip Bayless (R)
Shannon Sharpe (L – via Sports Illustrated) and Skip Bayless (R – via IMDb)

Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless were a hit pairing. They appeared together on the Fox Sports show Skip and Shannon: Undisputed for seven years and had a lot of fan following. Sharpe announced earlier this year that he will be leaving the show after the 2023 NBA Finals. There were rumors of a fallout between Sharpe and Bayless.

While Bayless got new guests on his show in Richard Sherman, Keyshawn Johnson and Michael Irvin, Sharpe joined ESPN’s show First Take with Stephen A. Smith. After it was confirmed that Sharpe will be joining ESPN, Smith appeared on his, Club Shay Shay podcast to talk about various sports-related stuff. During their conversation, they also talked about Bayless. Sharpe said “It’s not often that someone can give you that opportunity. And I’ve said this several times, for me, I cannot let six months ruin six and a half good years.”

Smith said that he considers Bayless ‘a brother from another mother’and has a lot of love for him. Bayless helped Smith and Sharpe early on in their television careers. Now Smith and Sharpe will compete for ratings against Bayless and his newly formed ‘Dream Team.’ It will be interesting to see who wins this battle of ratings.

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