Skip Bayless and FS1 have announced a break on their famous talk show “Undisputed,” while the summer break announcement seems harmless, it is just a coverup for the ongoing drama.
FS1’s number one talk show, Undisputed,” hosted by Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharp, is facing a bit of an employee crisis following the abrupt exit of the show’s co-host Shannon on June 13, 2023. As such, the show producers, including the current host, Bayless, have announced a two-month break to hunt for an eligible candidate to fill Sharp’s shoes.
According to FOS;
“LeBron isn’t the only one in the lab this summer. Can’t wait to unveil ‘Undisputed’ just in time for football season.”
That was the surprise tweet from Skip Bayless on Wednesday cheerily explaining why his morning show will go dark for more than two months before returning on Aug. 28.
Instead, the risky two-month layoff was driven by Bayless and FS1 management’s inability to find a replacement for Shannon Sharpe, said sources.
There are plenty of potential Sharpe successors, ranging from the laid-off Keyshawn Johnson and Max Kellerman at ESPN to FS1 personalities LeSean McCoy, Nick Wright, Emmanuel Acho and Joy Taylor.
But not many on-air talents want to take the hot seat opposite the domineering Bayless. To make matters worse, Bayless has the final say on everything internally at “Undisputed.”
So any Sharpe successors must walk into Fox’s Los Angeles studio knowing they will not be his equal either in salary or the show’s direction.
In his heart, the 71-year-old Godfather of “Embrace Debate” doesn’t want to work with anybody except his “brother from another mother,” Stephen A. Smith, at ESPN.
The result has been gridlock on Sharpe’s replacement, said sources.
“Shannon’s exit moved way faster than they expected. So they had no choice but to go on hiatus,” said one source. “Skip has never done anything like this during all his years at FS1 or ESPN. Not being on the air during all these NBA moves is killing him.”
Another reason for the delay could be that Bayless and FS1 are scrapping the mano-a-mano style of the show. Instead, Bayless could replicate Smith’s formula at “First Take,” where he debates a rotating series of guests ranging from Chris “Mad Dog” Russo to JJ Redick.
All Bayless has shared publicly is that his Undisputed 2.0 will more heavily feature rap artist Lil Wayne, who performs the theme song.
Sharpe and Bayless are known for having online beef because they disagree on a lot more things than they agree on anything. Meanwhile, it has been rumored that their online animosity extends to their real lives as well, and because Sharpe couldn’t handle the toxicity, he exited his post, and now the show directors have to pause it to hunt for his replacement.
LeBron isn’t the only one in the lab this summer. Can’t wait to unveil Undisputed just in time for football season. https://t.co/fpARm04FJu
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) July 5, 2023
