Skip Bayless (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Paley Center for Media)
In a stunning development, it was reported on Monday that longtime sports personality Skip Bayless is leaving FS1 at the end of the summer.

Ryan Glasspiegel of the New York Post reported that Skip Bayless is leaving the network, with his final show on FS1’s “Undisputed” taking place sometime this summer. Bayless has been the host of “Undisputed” for eight years.

News of Bayless’ looming departure is a stunner to many, given his name and notoriety in the sports journalism world. Unsurprisingly, his pending exit from FS1 is apparently business-related.

According to Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports, FOX is no longer willing to pay Skip Bayless a hefty $6-8 million salary given the decline in viewership on “Undisputed.” McCarthy noted that Bayless’ show is only netting around 50,000 viewers compared to what Stephen A. Smith is getting at ESPN.

Skip Bayless was reduced to 50K viewers some days while competing with his former partner Stephen A. Smith.

Fox is not going to pay him $6 to $8 million for that. https://t.co/exxREw6HK8

— Michael McCarthy (@MMcCarthyREV) July 15, 2024

The 72-year-old Bayless and Smith co-hosted “First Take” with Smith from 2007 to 2016 before his departure for FS1. “First Take” has crushed FS1 in the ratings battle, and it’s gotten worse for “Undisputed” ever since Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe left Bayless and the network last summer.

It will be interesting to see what the future holds for “Undisputed”, with no permanent host lined up. Keyshawn Johnson, Richard Sherman, Rachel Nichols and Paul Pierce all regularly appear on the show, but it remains to be seen if any of them will be named a permanent host.

Skip Bayless Won’t Be Out Of Work For Long

Love him or hate him, Skip Bayless has no problem bringing attention and publicity towards his employers. He has made a name for himself as someone who shamelessly offers hot takes that few people agree on.

You don’t have to like Bayless or the way he presents himself on television, but he accomplishes his main goal of getting people to follow his program. TV networks always want polarizing and controversial personalities, and a veteran like Bayless should definitely be sought-after by rival neworks.