Skip Bayless reveals his take on Shannon Sharpe's departure from Undisputed

Skip Bayless has shed new light on Shannon Sharpe's exit from their popular Fox Sports show "Undisputed."

Sharpe, who had been working with Bayless since 2016, announced in May 2023 that he would be leaving the show after reaching a buyout agreement with Fox. On June 13, Sharpe co-hosted his final episode, and following his departure and subsequent hiring at ESPN, numerous theories emerged about why the legendary tight end would leave the show.

Sharpe stated that his departure was due to a lack of respect shown by Bayless. However, Bayless refutes this claim. In a recent profile in The Washington Post , the 72-year-old Bayless shared his perspective on Sharpe's departure, dismissing any rumors that he had disrespected his former co-host.

"It dumbfounds me [that Sharpe said I lost respect for him]," Bayless remarked. "I only gained respect for Shannon Sharpe day after day after day that he could hang on this show."

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Furthermore, Bayless revealed that his own eventual departure from "Undisputed" was an indirect result of Sharpe leaving to pursue other sports media opportunities. "My heart was no longer in it because I didn't want Shannon to leave, and I fought for him to stay," he added. "It was a shock they pushed Shannon out."

While Bayless was taken aback by Sharpe's exit, the NFL Hall of Famer has made it clear that his former on-air sparing partner played a role in his departure. On "The Stephen A. Smith Show" last year, Sharpe opened up about the lack of respect from Bayless he felt despite the show's success – and how he couldn't fulfill his potential with the veteran sportscaster by his side.

"Skip Bayless did not make Shannon Sharpe relatable," Sharpe said at the time. "Skip Bayless did not make Shannon Sharpe the storyteller he is. Skip Bayless did not make Shannon Sharpe the football player that can break down plays and say, 'This is what happened. That's what happened. And this is why the play worked or didn't work.'".

"Yes, I'm going to miss aspects of it. Yes, I'm going to miss debating him. But it had gotten to the point the last six or seven months... and I won't allow it to ruin the six great years that we had. But it had gotten to the point that we needed to go our separate ways."

Despite leaving under strained circumstances, Sharpe acknowledged the significant effect "Undisputed" had on him on the "Black Money Tree" podcast, explaining how challenging it was for him to part ways with the show. "It's tough," Sharpe began.

"People are like, 'Well Shannon, why did you get so emotional? ' Because if you knew what I put into that job you would understand it. You see the greater the expectation, the greater the hurt when it doesn't work out.

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"And I poured so much into that job. I gave up everything. I lost relationships because I couldn't go out to dinner, I couldn't go to vacation because I had to watch all the sporting events and talk about them on television."

Meanwhile, Bayless expressed significant admiration for Sharpe as he transitioned to a new chapter in his career.

"I was so proud of what Shannon and I had accomplished together against such long odds. What a run we had together, nearly seven years' worth," Bayless remarked last year. "That's nearly 4,300 live, on-air hours sitting across from each other at that debate desk, battling, laughing, haggling over bets on games.

"When I told my wife, Ernestine, she said, 'You spent more time with him than you spent with me.' Well, not quite true. But there were times it felt that way. Which means, in some way, Shannon and I were almost like a married couple on TV."