ESPN featured commentator and executive producer of First Take, Stephen A. Smith, has been hosting his podcast, The Stephen A. Smith Show, with Audacy’s Cadence13 division for just over a year where he has proffered his views on sports and beyond. Lately, many of the show’s episodes have made mention of the revamped Undisputed on FOX Sports 1 starring his former on-air partner, Skip Bayless. Moreover, Smith has discussed the show’s acquisition of Shannon Sharpe from FOX Sports 1, who is appearing on the show on Mondays and Tuesdays throughout the National Football League season.
On a recent episode of the program, Smith spoke about a time when the show was in an uncertain situation following an on-air appearance by Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman that ended in harshly criticizing Bayless. Throughout his remarks, Smith said that the bosses at ESPN knew that Bayless was dependent on talking about quarterback Tim Tebow before he arrived later in the 2011 football season. Bayless seemed to believe that Smith insinuated that the program was in a probationary period because of indignation with his approach.
“The public had accused Skip Bayless of being a caricature of himself,” Smith said, “and even though Skip was very proud of his Tim Tebow coverage, the bosses weren’t necessarily enamored with it.”
On the latest edition of The Skip Bayless Show, Bayless took the time to respond to Smith, calling the statements he had made “baloney.” He remembered that the first time he remembers becoming interested in talking about Tebow was when he and the Florida Gators defeated the Oklahoma Sooners in the 2009 BCS National Championship Game.
“When he revises history about early First Take, I am going to respond,” Bayless articulated. “When he says that I told the truth about something but not the whole truth, then I am going to tell the utterly complete truth about that something.”
Bayless took umbrage towards being called a caricature of himself, proposing that it may have been random social media users rather than management. The authenticity he presented on the air at First Take was important to him, and he made sure to emphasize that “there was no shtick involved in all those shows.” According to Bayless, everything he said about Tebow was not an act, but rather his beliefs and opinions regarding the quarterback. The reason the show was on probation, the way he tells it, is not because of comments he or Smith made, but rather a remark from Rob Parker pertaining to NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III.
“Rob, as a contributor who occasionally came in to sit with us on First Take, made some remarks that unfortunately got him fired; he was let go,” Bayless said. “I hated it; I was in the middle of it [and] I didn’t know what to do about it, but maybe because of the old un-comfortability with First Take; I don’t know.”
Smith also acknowledged that comments he made regarding Ray Rice’s domestic violence incident that angered many colleagues and viewers, resulting in a suspension from the network. Yet Bayless reminded viewers that it did not happen until March 2013, nearly a year-and-a-half after Parker was fired by ESPN. While perceptions of a rivalry have permeated the sports media landscape between the two morning programs – and Smith sharing articles on X, formerly known as Twitter, by Front Office Sports about First Take viewership – Bayless wants people to know that he appreciates the span they worked together and everything Smith did for First Take.
“I love you, man. I really do – with all my heart and soul,” Bayless said to Smith, “but that is the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God.”
