Why Stephen A. and Skip Bayless Are Reuniting on First Take

For the first time in one decade, Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless will be back together on ESPN.

On Friday, Bayless will appear on a special edition of “First Take” on ESPN at 10:00 a.m.

The dynamic duo debated sports together on television for over 15 years until Bayless departed for FOX Sports in a move that fractured their relationship.

Bayless exited FS1 in 2024 and has been hinting at a return to the mainstream sports talk scene ever since. The 74-year-old has continued to post on his YouTube channel and co-hosts a show for Underdog Sports, where Smith appeared as a guest a few months ago. Bayless tried to reunite with Smith in 2020, but FOX offered him a deal that he couldn’t turn down.

On Friday morning, Smith and Bayless will reunite on ESPN for a one-time episode – at least that’s how it has been marketed.

Could this be more than a one-time broadcast?

Smith had claimed to have moved on from one of the most dominant debate pairings ever and has ascended into his own tier of sports talk. He's blossomed into the premier talent across ESPN’s properties and has even floated a potential United States presidential nomination. But sports debate is his passion, and “First Take” has become a bit of a revolving door since Bayless exited.

Max Kellerman’s stint on the show ended at Smith’s request. Host Molly Qerim departed shortly after, but Stephen A. insists he was not behind that decision.

Currently, a revolving cast of ESPN personalities spanning from Dan Orlovsky, Marcus Spears and Kendrick Perkins debate Smith on a show that hasn’t had the same identity that it once had.

The show remains a ratings juggernaut for ESPN, even without a fixed cast. Despite speculation that a pairing of Smith and Bayless is due to declining ratings, they’ve continued to lap their competition, even in an evolving media landscape.

That’s what makes Friday’s pairing of Smith and Bayless even more interesting. Everybody involved continues to market this as a one-time appearance. And perhaps that’s true.

But watching Smith lose his marbles over Skip’s hot takes is going to be a nostalgia play for plenty of sports fans. It could leave the audience yearning for more of this duo together. In a rapidly-changing media climate, ESPN has chased what sports fans are chasing. It’s why Pat McAfee dominates the daytime airwaves while simulcasting on YouTube with ESPN logos plastered all over the set.

Even though Bayless is 74, he’s consistently posting to YouTube to an audience of over a quarter million subscribers. Smith is an even more powerful digital engine with over 1.25 million subscribers on YouTube.

Even if “First Take” with Stephen A. and Skip never returns to what it once was, this certainly feels like an experiment of sorts for ESPN. This “one-time” broadcast will certainly drive massive ratings based on intrigue alone.

But could the four-letter network be priming us for some greater plans? It's a scenario that certainly shouldn't be ignored.