• New First Take host Shannon Sharpe ended a seven-year tenure with FOX in the summer
• Stephen A. Smith claims his new co-host was pushed out of FOX as his contract was about to expire
• Sharpe was bought out of his FOX contract for an undisclosed sum of money
ESPN went through an overhaul this summer, which saw multiple changes made to the regularly scheduled programming that we consume. One of the biggest changes has been the addition of Shannon Sharpe to First Take alongside Stephen A. Smith. Despite having a new star next to him, Smith claims Shannon was pushed out of his previous show ‘Undisputed’ on FOX.
“I’m telling you he was pushed out. I’m telling you and it’s a fact. They can deny it. He wouldn’t. I can promise you that. He was pushed out. He didn’t want to leave. He was notified that your services would no longer be needed. That’s his story to tell. I’m telling you what I know. I’m giving you facts.”
Stephen A. Smith says Shannon Sharpe was “pushed out” of ‘Undisputed’ and didn’t want to leave 😳 pic.twitter.com/wzg8skgcXn
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) September 13, 2023
Sharpe hosted Undisputed alongside Skip Bayless. The New York Post’s sources claim that Bayless actually fought internally to keep Shannon’s job, but it didn’t work. Bayless reportedly didn’t know how the conversations between Fox and Shannon were playing out.
Many others assume Skip and Shannon had a falling out last season after Bayless minimized Sharpe’s Hall of Fame career on air to make a point about Tom Brady.
The New Superstars Of Sports Television
Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe are an All-Star duo. Shannon was widely beloved when he was on Undisputed with Skip, but the ratings of the show have heavily suffered since Shannon’s departure. First Take, on the other hand, has been doing exceedingly well with the Smith-Sharpe duo.
Even though there are growing pains, such as Sharpe’s habit of referring to Stephen A. as ‘Skip’. But the camaraderie between the pair shows well on camera, better than past on-screen pairings Smith has had like Max Kellerman or even Bayless himself.
The truth behind Sharpe’s departure from FOX won’t come until the NFL Hall of Fame athlete spills the beans himself. Up until then, it’s all rumor and innuendo.
Massive Changes At ESPN
The broadcast crews we have come to be familiar with have been heavily altered at ESPN after a big round of layoffs that saw some of its biggest faces be left out of a job. Jalen Rose, Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson, and more have been let go this summer. There are many replacements for the outgoing talent, with a wide variety of reporters being promoted within the organization.
There have been major additions as well. Sharpe is arguably the biggest one of the bunch, but ESPN also added the likes of Bob Myers and Doc Rivers to their slate of programming this summer. Myers will be an NBA analyst, while Rivers is expected to call games alongside Doris Burke and Mike Breen.
Hopefully, these changes lead to an improved product as ESPN fell behind Fox Sports this season. After getting Shannon and making these changes, the company will hope to extend its reign as king of sports broadcast.
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