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Stephen A. Smith insists Skip Bayless reunion isnāt ratings grab: āIām always looking for young talentā
TL;DR
Stephen A. Smith will reunite with Skip Bayless on *First Take* this Friday after a 10-year hiatus. Smith urges critics to celebrate the reunion instead of questioning its motives.
Key points
- Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless will reunite on *First Take*.
- The reunion occurs 10 years after Bayless left the show.
- Smith encourages celebration of the reunion rather than skepticism.
- Critics have questioned the motives behind Bayless's return.
- Smith emphasizes a focus on young talent.
Mentioned in this story
Stephen A. SmithSkip BaylessESPNFS1
Credit: The Stephen A. Smith Show
Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless will reunite on First Take this Friday, and Smith wants critics to celebrate the move rather than question it.
Itās been 10 years since Bayless left the debate show he built on ESPN to launch a rival concept on FS1 with Shannon Sharpe. And on the heels of Smith announcing Bayless is returning to First Take 10 years later, it seems reasonable to wonder why.
āInstead of just celebrating Skip Bayless coming back to First Take for the day, Iām seeing articles here on Fox News, Awful Announcing, along with othersā¦one article actually said, āWhy is Skip Bayless coming back?ā And itās talking about ratings slip.
āHeās coming back because I wanted him to come back for a day. Because I havenāt been with my guy in 10 years. Ratings slip? Weāre still number one. Weāve had record ratings over the last five years. At some point in time, thatās not going to happen, because how many records can you break? I had Camāron from It Is What It Is podcast and a native New Yorker on today. Iām gonna have others on in the future because Iām always looking for young talent out there.ā
Always looking for young talent except on Friday apparently, when the 74-year-old Bayless returns to First Take. But while Bayless might not be young, heās still capable of sparking a reaction.
Awful Announcing published an article titled āWhy is Skip Bayless coming back to āFirst Takeā now?,ā which would seemingly be the post Smith was referring to. Only it didnāt accuse First Take of suffering a ratings slip. In fact, the article credited Smith for having the āmost dominant showā in this space. But while the article didnāt question First Takeās ratings, it did wonder whether Smith is just trying to drum up attention. And if youāre going to seek attention, reuniting with Bayless for two hours on national TV will certainly create some noise, even if it doesnāt create ratings.
āThis is what I have to deal with,ā Smith lamented. āLet them keep their headlines. But please understand that I average over two billion views on YouTube annually, with alone.ā
Q&A
Why is Skip Bayless returning to *First Take* after 10 years?
Skip Bayless is returning to *First Take* to celebrate his legacy on the show, according to Stephen A. Smith.
What did Stephen A. Smith say about the reunion with Skip Bayless?
Stephen A. Smith insists the reunion is not a ratings grab and emphasizes his focus on showcasing young talent.
When will Skip Bayless appear on *First Take* again?
Skip Bayless is scheduled to appear on *First Take* this Friday.
How long has it been since Skip Bayless left *First Take*?
It has been 10 years since Skip Bayless left *First Take* to create a rival show on FS1.
