Stephen A. Smith pushed back forcefully this week after a Fox-linked outlet framed Skip Bayless’ one-day return to ESPN’s First Take as a ratings-driven stunt. Bayless’ surprise reunion with Smith last Friday drew widespread attention across the sports-media landscape, but an OutKick piece — prominently featured by Fox News — suggested the appearance was born of desperation amid slipping viewership. Smith rejected that narrative on his radio show, saying he personally invited Bayless because “I haven’t been with my guy in 10 years,” and insisting First Take remains healthy.
“They’re talking about ratings slip,” Smith said, objecting to coverage from Fox News and other outlets. “He’s coming back because I wanted him to come back for a day. Because I haven’t been with my guy in 10 years.” He defended the program’s performance, saying First Take has posted “record ratings over the last five years” and remains “number one.” Smith also touted his digital reach, saying, “I average over two billion views on YouTube annually, with First Take alone.”
OutKick, which is now owned by Fox News, argued that First Take’s audience growth has lagged compared with the programming around it. Citing network data, the article said viewership for ESPN’s Get Up and The Pat McAfee Show — which air immediately before and after First Take — rose by 18 percent and 16 percent respectively, while First Take’s increase was only 5 percent. The piece suggested Bayless’ brief comeback fed into a narrative that the long-running debate show no longer carries the clout it once did. Fox News’ coverage went further, asserting that its own programming had “tripled” First Take’s ratings and that ESPN executives had “taken notice.”
Smith addressed those claims directly, dismissing the idea that Bayless’ visit was motivated by ratings pressure and bristling at the implication his contract — widely reported by others at five years and $100 million — looks like a network attempt to shore up the show. “Let them keep their headline,” he said, adding that record numbers and his digital footprint speak for themselves.
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OutKick author Bobby Burack responded to Smith on X, disputing parts of the analyst’s rebuttal and supplying pushback on Smith’s account of events. Burack said Smith had texted him months ago to say he was done reading his columns, and accused Smith of inconsistency after previously telling media he had “moved on” from Bayless when the pundit departed for FS1. Burack reiterated his reporting that First Take’s growth has not matched surrounding ESPN programming and maintained that ESPN had noticed the discrepancy. He also said he had repeatedly requested an on-air interview with Smith that never materialized.
The exchange highlights an enduring subplot in sports media: the commercial and cultural value of combustible television pairings. Smith and Bayless helped build First Take’s identity as a clash-driven show, and Bayless’ 2016 move to Fox’s FS1 to launch Undisputed with Shannon Sharpe transformed the two men into cross-network rivals. Sharpe later departed Undisputed in 2023 and has since pivoted to podcasting, underscoring shifting platforms and personalities in sports commentary.
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For now, the dispute is as much about storytelling as statistics: OutKick and Fox framed Bayless’ cameo as evidence of a wider decline, while Smith insists the numbers and his platform tell a different story. Independent verification of the disputed viewership comparisons was not offered in the competing statements, leaving the episode to play out as the latest salvo in a broader ratings and reputation battle among sports networks and their marquee personalities.
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