“Calm the f*** down please” – Stephen A. Smith cites Shannon Sharpe mistakenly calling him Skip as ‘honest mistake'

Shannon Sharpe and Stephen A. Smith have been finding their rhythm together on the set of First Take after the Hall of Famer parted ways with Fox Sports 1. Despite the fact that the two seem to have plenty of chemistry with one another, it has been a learning process for them.

In his first week, Shannon Sharpe notably called Stephen A. Smith by the name of 'Skip' a number of times while talking. Although Stephen A. Smith brushed the situation aside as nothing more than a minor mix-up, fans online were quick to crack jokes at Sharpe's expense.

This week on First Take, while discussing the NFL's opening weekend, the pro football Hall of Famer once again called Smith 'Skip' while speaking. Immediately, he expressed visible frustration at the error, however, Stephen A. Smith was quick to offer him words of encouragement.

As he explained on-air, and again on Twitter after the fact, Sharpe had sat across from Skip Bayless for nearly seven years. As such, Smith wasn't surprised by the blunder and didn't seem to care. In fact, it seems as though Smith is more concerned with supporting his co-host than he is with the mistakes themselves.

After the mistake, Smith took to Twitter, where he threw his support behind Shannon Sharpe once again. As he explained, not only is it an understandable mistake, but as long as Sharpe shows up to work every day, it isn't a problem.

"Will folks calm the F$&@ down please. The man (@ShannonSharpe) worked with Skip for 2 1/2 hours every single weekday for 6 1/2 YEARS! I’m surprised he hasn’t called me Skip more. Honest mistake. Nobody is fazed this way! So long as he shows up to @FirstTake when I ask, we are good! #TRUST"

Stephen A. Smith, Shannon Sharpe and Pat McAfee joke about name mix-up

Online, fans have continued to crack jokes about Shannon Sharpe's mix-up, and how he continues to call Stephen A. Smith by the name of 'Skip'. As previously mentioned, however, Smith has been incredibly supportive of his new co-host despite the blunders.

While Sharpe had been seen beating himself up about the mistake, he, Smith and former NFL player turned analyst Pat McAfee had a joke about the situation. With McAfee, a 2014 First-Team All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowler, joining the pair, fans knew they were in for some good NFL talk.

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Before that, however, McAfee couldn't help but crack a joke to break the tension. After Smith asked McAfee to discuss the relationship Aaron Rodgers had in Green Bay compared to New York, he started his answer by saying:

"Okay well that's a great question Skip..."

The joke not only broke the tension, with Shannon Sharpe bursting out laughing, but it also went viral online, with fans complimenting the trio for how they handled the situation. Given that Sharpe will be a staple of First Take going forward, expect the group to find its rhythm in the weeks and months ahead.