Tensions may have been brewing behind the scenes for years at FS1’s “Undisputed.”
After The Post reported Wednesday that Shannon Sharpe is leaving the popular debate show, the Hall of Fame tight end appeared to shed to light on what led to the demise of his on-air partnership with Skip Bayless.
Shortly after the news became public, Sharpe liked a tweet that claimed his contentious relationship with Bayless deteriorated over time and speculated that jealously played a part in the on-air breakup.
“Their relationship got progressively worse over the last 2 maybe 3 years because skip fought for him to be on that show but I feel like skip couldn’t stand Shannon succeeding without and that’s when skip was taking pot shots on air,” the tweet read.
Sharpe did not offer any direct commentary on the subject.
Sharpe, 54, and Fox Sports, which airs “Undisputed,” reached a buyout agreement, sources told The Post — adding that Sharpe’s popular “Club Shay Shay” podcast, will also leave the Fox umbrella.
Those close to Sharpe said privately he did not seek to be the unquestioned leader on the show, but wanted to be an equal with Bayless in the program’s topic selection.
The writing appeared to be on the wall for some time leading up to Sharpe’s buyout agreement.
Things seemingly reached a boiling point between Sharpe and Bayless in January, when Bayless came under fire for a tweet about Bills safety Damar Hamlin — who suffered cardiac arrest on the field during the Bills-Bengals Week 17 game on January 2.
At the time, Bayless complained about the contest being postponed due to Hamlin’s severe medical emergency — and Sharpe, along with a number of pro athletes called out Bayless for his tweet.
“No doubt the NFL is considering postponing the rest of this game — but how?” Bayless wrote at the time. “This late in the season, a game of this magnitude is crucial to the regular-season outcome … which suddenly seems so irrelevant.”
Sharpe skipped “Undisputed” the morning after the tweet, which Bayless defended while hosting the show solo.
The pair eventually argued over the matter when Sharpe returned to the show that following day.
A few weeks later, Sharpe revealed during an appearance on SiriusXM’s “The Adam Schein Podcast” that he and Bayless “had a bad two months” and aren’t close outside the show.
Some Twitter users believe the signs of a Sharpe-Bayless split were evident long before that.
Three weeks prior to the Bayless’ tweet about Hamlin, the co-hosts got into a heated altercation that seemed personal.
During the Dec. 12, 2022, installment of the show, Bayless and Sharpe went at it during a discussion about the greatness of Tom Brady — who Bayless said is a better football player than Sharpe ever was.
Sharpe then accused Bayless of taking a personal shot at him and things only escalated from there.
Sharpe’s final show is expected to be aired after the 2023 NBA Finals conclude in June.
Sharpe and Bayless joined forces on “Undisputed” after Bayless left ESPN’s “First Take” in 2016, following four years of debating with Stephen A. Smith.
Sharpe and Bayless did not immediately respond to requests for comment, nor did a Fox Sports spokesperson.
It is unclear how FS1 will move forward with the show in terms of a potential replacement for Sharpe.