Count ESPN out as Skip Bayless’ next sports media destination.
Bayless, co-host of “Undisputed,” is leaving FS1 after eight years at the network, as The Post exclusively reported Monday, and ESPN is already dismissing the idea of bringing in the hot take commentator, according to a new report.
Front Office Sports reported Tuesday that the network is “not interested in a reunion” with Bayless, who spent 12 years at ESPN before moving to FS1 in 2016.
“We are set with the current ‘First Take’ rotation, and wish Skip the best on his future endeavors,” an ESPN spokesperson told Front Office Sports.
Bayless, whose final show is expected to be later this summer, will follow his former “Undisputed” co-host Shannon Sharpe in departing FS1.
Sharpe, the ex-NFLer, reached a buyout with the network last summer following public friction between the pair on the show after Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field during a Week 17 game against the Bengals on Jan 2, 2023.
Last fall, Sharpe joined ESPN’s “First Take” alongside Stephen A. Smith, whom Bayless used to spar with on the program.
The 72-year-old Bayless has since worked with a revolving cast of panelists on “Undisputed,” including Keyshawn Johnson, Michael Irvin, Richard Sherman, Rachel Nichols and Paul Pierce.
Bayless signed a four-year, $32 million contract with FS1 in 2021, former Post columnist Andrew Marchand reported then.
And Bayless isn’t the only big-name talent that could be leaving the network in the next year.
Colin Cowherd, host of “The Herd” on FS1, will be a free agent after the 2024-25 NFL season.
