Stephen A. Smith isn’t being shy about his desire for Shannon Sharpe to return to “First Take.”
The Pro Football Hall of Famer, who joined the debate show in 2023 upon leaving FS1’s “Undisputed” after friction with Skip Bayless, was let go by ESPN last summer after settling a $50 million lawsuit in which the 57-year-old was accused of rape. Sharpe previously denied the allegations.
Shannon Sharpe (c.) attends Game 4 of the Lakers-Thunder series in Los Angeles on May 11, 2026. Getty Images “I’m always going to want him back. The company knows I want him back,” Smith said of Sharpe on the “Out the Mud” podcast, per Awful Announcing. “Now, y’all going to do what y’all got to do because I’m the executive producer, but I’m not an executive VP of the company. I have bosses to answer to. They have to make that decision. But they already know I want him back. If we can get him back, I want him back, I ain’t apologizing for that to nobody. He was great for me. He was great to me, and I’m not gonna forget that. He was great for the show.”
Bayless, who starred on “First Take” with Smith before leaving for FS1, has since left Fox Sports and the 74-year-old reunited with Smith on the ESPN show Friday.
Bayless himself was accused in a lawsuit by former Fox Sports hairstylist Noushin Faraji of offering her $1.5 million for sex. Most of the lawsuit was resolved in September.
Stephen A. Smith attends the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 25, 2026. WireImage Awful Announcing reported last week that a Sharpe return to “First Take” is currently “not under consideration.”
Sharpe continues to host his “Club Shay Shay” interview podcast, along with the “Nightcap” show with Chad Ochocinco.
