After taking almost a two-month hiatus, Undisputed, featuring Skip Bayless, is set to return to TV by the end of the month.
Undisputed is a sports talk show that is now entering its eighth year and airs from Monday to Friday on Fox Sports 1. It is considered one of the most successful sports talk shows on Fox, and the company views it as one of its greatest assets when it comes to TV ratings.
Undisputed broadcasts from the Fox Network Center, which is located in Century City. Century City is a neighborhood and business district in Los Angeles, California, close to Downtown Los Angeles, which hosts business centers, private schools, multi-billion-dollar companies, and more.
Skip Bayless used to run the show alongside three-time Super Bowl champion Shannon Sharpe, who has been the co-host of the show since 2016.
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However, Sharpe and Bayless hadn't seen eye-to-eye since early 2023, and the tension between the two led to the former's departure in mid-June.
Shannon Sharpe will not stay off TV, though, as he is expected to join Stephen A. Smith and ESPN's First Take on a part-time basis, especially during the football season.
Who will replace Shannon Sharpe and join Skip Bayless as co-hosts of Undisputed?
With Sharpe out, Skip Bayless was in search of a new partner for the Undisputed. And it looks like he has found Sharpe's replacement, as he announced on Twitter. Bayless also revealed that the show will return next Monday, August 28.
"RICHARD SHERMAN! KEYSHAWN JOHNSON! MICHAEL IRVIN! NEW DREAM TEAM ON THE NEW UNDISPUTED. NEW LIL WAYNE INTRO SONG, "GOOD MORNING." NEXT MONDAY. AUGUST 28. 9:30 E, FS1. BE THERE," Skip Bayless tweeted.
The three newcomers, all former NFL players and Super Bowl champions, will co-host the show, while former ESPN presenters Rachel Nichols and Lil Wayne will make regular appearances on the show.
Given the amount of control Bayless has over the show, it doesn't come as a surprise that he will be joined by a panel of analysts instead of a co-host like Sharpe.
According to Fox Sports 1 executive vice president of content Charlie Dixon, up to 12 analysts with significant TV experience could make regular appearances on Undisputed, starting in late August.
Skip Bayless, 71, has been well-known for his controversial statements and analysis when it comes to the NBA and NFL.
There were numerous times when he and Shannon Sharpe had heated arguments, and the tension between the two was one of the main reasons for Sharpe's departure.
Bayless is also known for criticizing LeBron James and he always had something to say about the four-time NBA champion and all-time scoring leader, especially during the regular season and the playoffs.