‘Honest’ Skip Bayless admits he lost his love for the game after FS1 fallout with Shannon Sharpe

Skip Bayless' departure from FS1 brought Undisputed to a halt, following a decline in ratings after Shannon Sharpe's exit.

‘Honest’ Skip Bayless admits he lost his love for the game after FS1 fallout with Shannon Sharpe

Skip Bayless feels FS1 forced Shannon Sharpe out of Undisputed, not his disrespectful comments (Image via Imago/X)

When Skip Bayless left ESPN in 2016, the sports world wondered how he’d fare at FS1. Known for revolutionizing sports broadcasting with his fiery debates, his masterstroke was recruiting NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe. Their dynamic debates drove the success of Undisputed until Sharpe’s eventual departure.

The main reason for that departure centered on the apparent disrespect Bayless showed Sharpe during several episodes. But when speaking with The Washington Post, Bayless, who left the show earlier this year gave a new angle to Ben Strauss.

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My heart was no longer in it because I didn’t want Shannon to leave, and I fought for him to stay. It was a shock they pushed Shannon out.

Skip Bayless said

When Strauss asked him about those disrespecting comments to Sharpe, he pleaded innocence.

It dumbfounds me [that he said I lost respect for him]. I only gained respect for Shannon Sharpe day after day after day that he could hang on this show.

Skip Bayless added

Bayless believes his disrespectful comments to Shannon Sharpe did not lead his former colleague to lose respect for him. Rather, it was FS1 who forced Sharpe out.

The 72-year-old knew once his old partner in crime was out that ratings would go down. The way they debated was what led to the success of the show, something that no one could replicate since the 56-year-old tight end left. He was embracing the inevitable as ratings went down.

Then, when his last contract with FS1 dwindled down, he did not want to renegotiate and walked away. Instead, as Skip Bayless revealed later, he wanted to return to ESPN to rejoin Stephen A. Smith on First Take.

Skip Bayless wanted to reunite with Stephen A. Smith

According to the analyst, he and Smith were plotting a reunion when his contract was initially up in air in 2021. But FS1 exercised its right to match ESPN’s offer, shutting down any chance of that happening.

I was devastated. Stephen A. was devastated. They were obviously not real happy that I would be so disloyal as to try to strong arm my way out of FS1.

Skip Bayless said

The Los Angeles resident allegedly had his mind set on leaving, but could not. Had that happened, the situation surrounding Undisputed and First Take could have been very different.

Shannon Sharpe with Stephen A. Smith on First Take, which could have been Skip Bayless' job
Shannon Sharpe with Stephen A. Smith on First Take, which could have been Skip Bayless’ job (Image via X)

Shannon Sharpe would have continued with Undisputed, but it would have been his own show. No one knows if that format would have been successful or if the Hall of Fame tight end would have had the success he now has.

Now with Bayless left running his own podcast, he is in a world of his own, where he does not have to listen to anyone or follow instructions. But his words indicate he laments what transpired with his former colleagues.