Skip Bayless’s departure from FS1 could be the impetus for the network to “blow up” most of its weekday studio-show lineup, sources tell Front Office Sports.
With Bayless tweeting that Friday’s show was his last after eight years at FS1, the spotlight now turns to the rest of the network’s on-air talent and studio shows. I’m hearing FS1 could completely revamp its current lineup, canceling Bayless’s Undisputed, moving talent around to different or new shows and possibly building a new program around Chicago-based sports radio personality Danny Parkins.
According to my sources, FS1 executives believe First Things First star Nick Wright is the future of the network. But do they really want to take the 39-year-old Wright and on-air partners Chris Broussard and Kevin Wildes away from their current 3–5 p.m. ET time slot and make them compete head-to-head with rival ESPN’s powerhouse First Take?
Bayless, the godfather of sports debate, was chewed up by his former on-air partners, Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe, from 10 a.m. to noon in their head-to-head battle. If I’m Wright, I’m not sticking my ascending program in front of that buzzsaw. It’s probably more likely, say my sources, that FS1 takes the promising duo of Emmanuel Acho and Joy Taylor from Speak at 5 p.m. and builds a new morning show around them. They also like Keyshawn Johnson and Richard Sherman, two of Bayless’s rotating partners on Undisputed, and could cast them on other shows.
Meanwhile, FS1 is intrigued by Parkins, the 37-year-old Chicago radio talk-show host who recently guest-hosted The Herd with Colin Cowherd. He’s good friends with Wright, going back to their days at Syracuse. Cowherd publicly called Parkins the “most talented” sports talk-radio host “out there right now” on his podcast.
There’s no doubt about one thing: FS1 management is under pressure. It already looks foolish for letting Sharpe walk last year in favor of Bayless, just as the Pro Football Hall of Famer was ascending in popularity and Bayless was fading. Now Sharpe’s one of the hottest sports-media personalities in the country, making an impact on ESPN and with his Club Shay Shay podcast/YouTube show. Sharpe’s also poised to inherit the lead role on First Take if Smith leaves for late-night TV, politics, or acting. This means Sharpe will likely be a thorn in his old network’s side for years to come.
FS1 needs to do something this summer, to improve its weekday studio lineup in time for the 2024 NFL season. Studio shows are designed to help drive viewers to live game coverage. With Tom Brady joining as Fox’s No. 1 NFL game analyst, and the network poised to broadcast Super Bowl LIX, the sports cable network needs a healthy studio lineup. One of the many puzzling things about Bayless’s tenure was how FS1 let him talk nonstop about the NBA—when Fox doesn’t have NBA game rights.
It’s also critical that FS1 keeps Cowherd happy. Even when Bayless was around, the former ESPNer was FS1’s biggest star and innings-eater. But the 60-year-old Cowherd’s contract expires early next year. With his owned-and-operated podcast network The Volume becoming a big success, Cowherd could split off on his own à la Bill Simmons and Joe Rogan. Or ESPN could make a run at Cowherd for its own weekday lineup. Especially if the mercurial Pat McAfee doesn’t last.
“The thing holding that entire network together is Colin,” warns one source. “Just like ESPN’s day is dependent on Stephen A., FS1’s day is dependent on Colin.”
As always, the persnickety Bayless did things his own way Friday. Former FS1 talent Marcellus Wiley predicted, correctly, that Friday would be Bayless’s last show. But Bayless never addressed it on the air. Instead, he tweeted this at noon ET: “Today was my last show on Undisputed. I’m leaving FS1. I’ve been planning to pursue other opportunities for several months. I had a great 8-year run with a lot of great people at FOX, but now I’m excited for what’s coming up. Stay tuned.”
The network responded with a statement thanking Bayless for his “outstanding” contributions and saying he was a “cornerstone of our network and a driving force in sports commentary.”
So why didn’t Bayless address it on Friday’s show? I’m hearing the proud Bayless was so disappointed at being pushed out of the network he helped build that he passed on the chance to address his departure. Bayless may also blame FS1 executives, rather than himself, for not fixing the feud with Sharpe before it got completely out of hand, say sources.
What’s Next?
What opportunities are out there for a 72-year-old hot-take artist? Who knows. ESPN has already ruled out a First Take reunion between Bayless and Smith, telling me: “We are set with the current First Take rotation, and wish Skip the best on his future endeavors.”
He could try to follow the example of Smith, McAfee, and Sharpe by building his own media platform. But Bayless’s eponymous YouTube show has only 160,000 subscribers versus 755,000 for Smith’s owned-and-operated show and 2.6 million for McAfee and 3.2 million for Sharpe. Bayless could land at betting platforms FanDuel, DraftKings, and Caesars Sportsbook, which have been scooping up mainstream sports media talent like Kay Adams, Mike Golic Sr. and Trey Wingo.
“This is a tough spot for Skip. His run is over,” says another source.
End of an Era
Don’t cry for Bayless. He made millions over his career for ripping LeBron James as a choker, touting Tim Tebow as the second coming and other absurd takes. But he also helped save the careers of both Smith and Sharpe, plucking them both off the scrap heap when they were at the nadir of their TV careers. Ultimately, Bayless made a lot of people a lot of money, including himself. Like him or hate him, he changed sports TV.
As Wright tweeted Friday, Bayless had a “legendary” run, creating and popularizing the “Embrace Debate” that’s come to dominate sports TV.
“Very few people, in any industry, can say they helped create & define an entire genre. Skip did that. Salute & good luck in whatever he does moving forward,” wrote Wright. The New York Post first reported Bayless would leave FS1 this summer.
The end of the Bayless vs. Sharpe feud also shows how looks can be deceiving. When Sharpe was pushed out of FS1 in 2023, Bayless appeared to be the winner. After all, the executives had sided with him, not Sharpe. Instead, that decision ended up spelling the end of Bayless’s FS1 run. Without Sharpe across the debate desk, Undisputed’s audience fell apart, dropping to 50,000 viewers for some episodes, compared to more than 400,000 for First Take. Bayless, and his show, never recovered.
Michael McCarthy’s “Tuned In” column is at your fingertips every week with the latest insights and ongoings around sports media. If he hears it, you will, too.
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