The Worldwide Leader is bringing Skip Bayless back to do battle with his longtime co-host Stephen A. Smith on “First Take” in a one-time reunion on Friday.
The legendary sports debaters worked together on the show for nearly 16 years until Bayless departed for Fox Sports — a move that saw the pair enter a yearslong feud.
The hot-take artist, 74, exited FS1 in 2024, stirring up rumors of him making a return to ESPN alongside Smith, though the latter wasn’t exactly into the idea.
Bayless has since been posting to his YouTube channel and co-hosting a show for Underdog.
They’ve dipped their toes into potential reunions over the years, though there were snags.
“We tried in 2020, to his credit,” Bayless revealed on Barstool Sports’ “Pardon My Take” podcast in 2024. “My deal was up after my first four years. So I’ve been there from 2016 to 2020. He did his darndest, and I did my damnedest to reunite with him. And [ESPN] did make an offer. I was unaware I had a matching clause somewhere at the very bottom, in very fine print, of my contract that was standard to all contracts. I was told I had one at ESPN that I was not aware of.
“And not only did Fox match, they did sweeten the pot. Thank you to Lachlan Murdoch for that. So they tried to make it happier for me to stay. But I tried everything in my power to rejoin him because I missed him dearly. No disrespect to Shannon, I’d done four years with Shannon, and I wanted to go back with Stephen A.”
In March 2025, the pair was able to come together for an episode of Bayless’ podcast, and in November 2025, they were photographed at a Beverly Hills diner together.
Now, ten years after their last “First Take,” they’re finally getting another shot — but just the one.
