
Skip Bayless has not been the same without Shannon Sharpe.
It was always an uphill climb for FS1, which tries to compete with ESPN for the attention of sports fans.
But while Bayless had some success after he parted ways with Stephen A. Smith, fans believe that Bayless' decision to also end his working relationship with Sharpe resulted in his downfall.
Bayless is set to leave his spot as co-host of "Undisputed" on FS1, according to the New York Post.
Sharpe has joined Smith at ESPN, while "Undisputed" has run through a series of lesser-known hosts.
"Less than a year without Shannon and he’s gone," one fan tweeted.
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"Shannon Sharpe leaving was one of the bigger fraud checks in media," a second fan posted. "Good riddance Skippy."
"The moment he disrespected Shannon Sharpes NFL career on 12-12-22 on Undisputed, Skip pretty much put the nails on the coffin for his career," a third fan wrote.
Bayless is set to leave FS1 this summer, opening a huge hole for a network that falls below ESPN in the TV sports hierarchy.
Sharpe left the station after the 2023 NBA Finals.
During an appearance on the Black Money Tree podcast, the NFL legend reflected on how he left Undisputed and the emotions he had to deal with.
"People are like, ‘Well, Shannon, why’d you get so emotional?’ Because if you knew what I put into that job, you would understand it,” Sharpe said.
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“You see, the greater the expectation, the greater the hurt when it doesn’t work out. And I poured so much into that.”
A visibly upset Sharpe became choked up and revealed that his commitment to the job cost his personal life.
“I gave up everything. I lost relationships because I couldn’t go out to dinner. I couldn’t go on vacation. I couldn’t do it because I had to watch all the sporting events. I had to be able to talk about them on television and talk about them expertly, so it cost me a lot.”
To many NBA fans, Bayless is known as a "LeBron hater" who goes out of his way to take shots at the league's all-time scoring leader.
Sharpe revealed he felt disrespected by Bayless towards the end of their time together.
Sharpe has had the last laugh, though, as his popularity has skyrocketed while Undisputed and Bayless' are at all-time lows.
By the end of the summer, "Undisputed" could be without its only remaining big name.
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"He (Bayless) definitely got fired bro," one fan tweeted.
"If only he treated Shannon better he'd still have a good show and a job," a second fan wrote.