(Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)
Stephen A. Smith has become the face of ESPN and arguably the hardest-working man in sports media since his highly-publicized split with former co-host Skip Bayless years ago, and with Skip’s immediate future now up in the air, people are starting to wonder if a reunion is in the cards.
Smith addressed those rumors recently and didn’t mince words when it comes to the next steps for him and Skip.
Front Office Sports shared that any possibility of a Smith-Bayless TV reunion is done, with Smith saying “It’s over. It’s been over.” and added “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.”
The possibility of a Stephen A. Smith–Skip Bayless TV reunion is done, Smith says.
“It’s over. It’s been over.”@MMcCarthyREV has more
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) July 20, 2024
Smith added that it wouldn’t be fair to his new partner, Shannon Sharpe (who ironically was Bayless’ partner with FS1 for years after Bayless left ESPN), to pair back up with Bayless.
Bayless and Smith’s on-camera relationship began in 2012 when Bayless chose Smith to be his debate partner and pulled him away from being primarily a radio host, and the pair blossomed until Bayless left for FS1 in 2016.
Smith cycled through co-hosts for years before pairing up with Sharpe after he split from Bayless at FS1 and the two have thrived.
Smith is also reportedly seeking over $20 million a year in his next ESPN contract and Bayless’ stock in the sports media world might be trending down while Smith’s is trending up, as years of hostility and public breakups have started to raise some red flags and steer potential partners away from Bayless.
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