Skip Bayless is going back to in a limited return that puts him on First Take on the last Friday of every month, starting next week. Stephen A. Smith made the announcement Friday afternoon while Bayless was joining him on SiriusXM Mad Dog Sports Radio.
The move gives First Take viewers a regular Bayless appearance again, but not a full-time one. Smith said Bayless will be on the show every Friday on SiriusXM and on the last Friday of every month on television, a setup that keeps the old debate alive without restoring the old job.
The timing matters because Bayless already tested the chemistry this year with a one-day reunion on First Take after a decade-long hiatus from. Bayless said that reunion last May was the most fun he had in a long time, and he told Smith he was personally highly entertained by sitting across from him. He also said what they had then, and will have again, is a one and only.
That enthusiasm was not shared equally outside the studio. The reunion did not land as a clean win with sports fans, even though Bayless and Smith clearly enjoyed the matchup and seemed eager to keep it going. What had been a one-off has now become a calendar item, which is exactly why the announcement landed with weight on Friday.
Smith framed it as Bayless being back in the fold, saying, “You are back, my brother.” He also said the monthly visits begin next week, which means the first new appearance is close enough to matter immediately. Bayless has recently relaunched Gridiron with Aqib Talib after its fallout with Underdog, but the bigger shift now is that his familiar back-and-forth with Smith is no longer just a memory or a stunt. It is scheduled.
What remains unresolved is how long the arrangement lasts and how much of a role Bayless will really have beyond these monthly appearances. For now, the important part is simpler: a rivalry that once defined First Take is returning in smaller doses, with Smith and Bayless betting that repetition will be enough to make it work again.
