Last week, Skip Bayless returned to ESPN to reunite with his former debate partner, Stephen A. Smith, on “First Take.” Under a new agreement, Bayless will appear on the program on the final Friday of every month.
The history between Bayless and the show is significant.
ESPN built “First Take,” its daily debate program, around Bayless in 2007. Like Smith today, Bayless initially debated a rotating cast of analysts. He pushed the network to give Smith a recurring role, but executives initially resisted after Smith’s previous, unsuccessful stint at ESPN.
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Smith eventually joined the show on a weekly basis and became Bayless’ full-time debate partner in 2012.
Together, Bayless and Smith drew an average audience that well exceeded ESPN2’s typical viewership, often outperforming the main ESPN channel during the same time slot.
Bayless left ESPN for FS1 in 2016 to launch “Undisputed,” a similarly formatted debate program designed to compete directly with “First Take.” Bayless partnered with Shannon Sharpe at FS1, while Max Kellerman replaced him at ESPN.
Comparing the success of the two programs warrants context. ESPN reached three to five times as many morning viewers as FS1 at the time. Even so, “First Take” lost more than 20% of its audience after Bayless departed. ESPN responded by moving the program from ESPN2 to ESPN. After the move, “First Take” attracted roughly twice the audience of “Undisputed.”
The gap widened after Kellerman left “First Take” and Sharpe exited “Undisputed.” By 2023, “First Take” regularly drew three to four times as many viewers as its FS1 rival. Bayless ultimately left the network in 2024.
Smith and Bayless are in different positions than they were in 2012.
At the time, Bayless was one of ESPN’s most viral personalities. Smith had been relegated to local radio. Today, Smith is among the most influential figures in sports media, having recently signed a five-year, $100 million contract with ESPN. Until recently, Bayless was the one without a television platform.
Bayless’ transition to digital media has been rocky. His weekly show with his wife averages about 1,000 views per episode on YouTube. He has not uploaded a new episode of his eponymous podcast in nearly a year. He has, however, recently gained traction through a venture with former NFL cornerback Aqib Talib called “Gridiron.”
Although Bayless accepted an invitation to become a monthly contributor to “First Take,” the arrangement is undoubtedly awkward. Returning to the program you built, alongside the co-host whose career you helped build, in a limited role cannot be easy.
It is also reasonable to wonder whether Bayless believes Smith owes him the same full-time opportunity that he extended in 2012. OutKick asked Bayless about that possibility following Friday’s show. He did not respond.
Honestly, Smith should consider it.
The current version of “First Take” has grown stale. The format of pairing Smith with two rotating panelists produces inconsistent results. Michael Irvin, Dan Orlovsky, Chris “Mad Dog” Russo and Marcus Spears are strong contributors. Much of the remaining rotation, however, consists of interchangeable ESPN personalities, including Chris Canty, Kimberley Martin and Domonique Foxworth.
Perhaps a more effective approach would be to reduce the size of the rotation and feature only the program’s strongest personalities alongside Smith and perhaps Bayless. On Friday, Spears joined Smith and Bayless for most of the show.
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“First Take” is still one of ESPN’s highest-rated programs, but its growth lags behind the network’s other studio shows. ESPN’s monthly press releases routinely emphasize year-over-year gains for “Get Up,” “The Pat McAfee Show,” “NFL Live” and other programs, but not “First Take’s.”
Smith himself has acknowledged the importance of evolving the program. Explaining why he wanted Kellerman removed from the program, Smith said it was necessary “to keep things fresh and make changes every three years.” It has now been five years since Kellerman’s departure.
Bayless also brings out a different side of Smith, one that is generally more appealing to viewers.
The formula is simple but effective: Bayless makes a provocative claim, Smith responds with theatrical indignation, Bayless defends his position and the segment often ends in good fun.
While not the most intellectually rigorous form of television, it’s better than the pandering, faux sophistication that has come to define too much of sports television.
Despite his branding, Smith rarely offers a profound opinion on sports. He believes the Cowboys underachieve, Stephen Curry is the greatest shooter in NBA history and LeBron James is the second-greatest player in basketball history. Those are conventional positions.
In fact, Smith tends to expose a lack of depth when he tries to offer a unique opinion. His recent commentary on LSU, Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson suggested a limited familiarity with those subjects.
Smith performs best opposite a contrarian, like Bayless. The same dynamic explains why his appearances with Will Cain and Sean Hannity on Fox News often generate more interest than his solo political monologues.
Smith, who has frequently responded to criticism from OutKick, may view that comparison as a slight. It is not. Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser remain the gold standard of sports television because their partnership is stronger than either host individually. The same principle applies to Smith and Bayless.
With Pat McAfee surpassing Smith as ESPN’s most relevant personality, a full-time reunion with Bayless would represent an opportunity to regain momentum. Debating Chris Canty one day and Gerald McCoy the next does not.
ESPN may be reluctant to approve a broader reunion for Bayless. Our understanding is that there was pushback about bringing him back even in a limited role.
Executive Mike Foss, who oversees the network’s daily studio programming, has emphasized a shift away from “embrace debate,” the slogan that once defined “First Take,” in favor of authenticity and conversation. Ratings trends suggest that approach has benefited much of ESPN’s daytime lineup. But not “First Take.”
“First Take” is a debate show. The program has never fully recaptured the cultural relevance and virality it reached with Bayless and Smith together.
If the plan is to keep Stephen A. in a prominent role as he approaches 60, ESPN should lean into what made him successful in sports-talk television.
It is also 2026. As Hollywood continues to demonstrate, nostalgia remains a more reliable commercial strategy than reinvention.
