In an unlikely turn of events, it looks like the gang is getting back together, at least for a limited time.
Stephen A. Smith and former ESPN partner Skip Bayless are reuniting for an episode of Bayless’s podcast, according to Front Office Sports.
“The Skip Bayless Show” episode featuring Smith has reportedly already been taped and is set to be released early next week.
Smith and Bayless worked for over a decade together at ESPN, most notably as “First Take” talking heads from 2012-16.
Stephen A. Smith during Game Three of the NBA Finals between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns at Fiserv Forum on July 11, 2021 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Getty Images
Bayless ultimately left the show and the network as a whole in 2016, opting for a role on FS1’s “Undisputed.”
Smith and Bayless were panelists on ESPN’s “First Take” from 2012 until 2016. Joe Faraoni
Skip Bayless is seen on October 27, 2017 in Los Angeles, CA. GC Images
At the end of last year, Smith talked about his relationship with Bayless.
“When I say we don’t have a relationship, it’s not anything negative from my end,” Smith said on the “Talk With Flee” podcast in December 2024. “It’s me letting you know, ‘Yo, bro, I picked up the phone on several occasions.’ He never called me back.
“To me, if you that kind of person, that doesn’t make you bad, it just means that we can’t vibe. Because I’m gonna answer a call.”
Stephen A. Smith on the ESPN “First Take” set at the CFP Fan Central at the George World Congress Center. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
“Our relationship goes back too long for me not to get a call from you when I called you. When you made that decision, cool. Live with your decision,” Smith added. “I will always love Skip, even when I adamantly and emphatically disagree with some of the things he says and does. But the part about not calling me back? Not answering my call? Nah, bro. Anybody that knows me, family included, anybody that knows me knows you don’t get too many shots with that with me. I don’t pick up the phone too often to call you. If you don’t answer my call, you don’t answer my call.”
Since the separation nine years ago, Smith has remained prevalent in the sports media spotlight and inked a five-year, $100 million contract with ESPN this week.
Bayless left FS1 in August 2024.
