“I called him, and he never reached back out,” Stephen A. Smith admits his relationship with Skip Bayless has turned sour over the year

Stephen A. Smith opened up about his fallout with Skip Bayless, revealing his relationship has gotten even worse and they don't intend to talk.

“I called him, and he never reached back out,” Stephen A. Smith admits his relationship with Skip Bayless has turned sour over the year

Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless (Via Imago)

Instead of improving, it seems Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless’ relationship has gotten even worse over time, to the extent that they avoid talking to each other. 

Last month, sports analyst Bayless bid farewell to FS1’s Undisputed, which he had been associated with since 2016 and reportedly embarking on a venture with rapper Lil Wayne. As the ESPN analyst reminisced about his time with Bayless, he acknowledged their relationship has changed significantly, during his appearance on Cris Carter‘s Fully Loaded podcast.

Stephen A. Smith On His Relationship with Skip Bayless 
We’ve only spoken once over the last year, a year and a half or so. We don’t speak much anymore. He got upset over something he thought I said to JJ Redick. And he went on his podcast and attacked me for about 45 minutes.
Stephen A. Smith revealed about his unsettling conversations with Bayless

Though Smith claimed he would never lose respect for Bayless, he acknowledged that the two would never be able to work together for a sports show in the future. However, Smith has no grudges against Bayless and has moved on from the whole controversy. 

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Stephen A. Smith reflects on Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe’s fallout

While talking about his indifference to sports analyst Bayless, Smith also addressed the infamous rift between Bayless and Shannon Sharpe, who was also associated with the Undisputed before getting fired. The fallout between them started because of Tom Brady, as Sharpe called out Bayless for not criticizing the legendary footballer, whereas Bayless claimed Brady was a better player than the former TE. 

Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe (Image via Golf Digest)
Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe (Image via Golf Digest)
I thought he was wrong about Shannon. I thought what he did to Shannon was flagrantly wrong. And I called him, and he never reached back out. So, I stopped reaching out.
Stephen A. Smith said

Bayless and Smith had been working together since 2007 when they just started their careers and rose to prominence together as well. But the latter felt that the former was “going in a different direction” and that’s why he decided to part ways. But he remains grateful to the Undisputed host for bringing him to work together on First Take. 

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