It was an end of an era on Tuesday when Shanno Sharpe announced that it was his final day debating Skip Bayless on FS1’s Undisputed. While the move had been in the works for weeks, the eventual ending came quickly and without warning, like to many of Bayless’s terrible takes that sent Sharpe into a tailspin over the last few years.
Despite reports of animosity between the two co-hosts, Sharpe was incredibly appreciative of Bayless and the doors he opened.
“Skip Bayless, you fought for me, bro. I’m here because of you. You allowed me to share the stage with you. You allowed me to share the platform. I’m gonna cry in the car, but I’m not gonna cry now,” Sharpe said Tuesday as he began to cry. “The opportunity that you gave me to become what I became, I’m forever indebted to you, I’ll never forget what you did for me. You helped me grow, more than you’ll ever know.”
Shannon tears up as he thanks Skip pic.twitter.com/Xja5ld7XqL
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 13, 2023
While Sharpe and Bayless are often discussed as if they’re the only people involved in Undisputed, the show also features a moderator who attempts to keep things cordial. These days it’s Jen Hale but for a time it was Jenny Taft, who now works mainly as a sideline reporter for Fox.
While she’s no longer on the program, Taft shared Tuesday that the end of the Shannon-Skip era makes her a “little sad.”
“It was a great experience for me,” Taft said to Barrett Sports Media. “I’m a little sad to see it come to an end, to be honest. I am still very close with Shannon – he and I talked the other day. I think it’s a bummer to see a show that I really always believed in kind of end that way, but I know Shannon is going to be doing something incredible.”
Taft didn’t mention Bayless by name in the article, perhaps owing to multiple intense disagreements she had with Skip while working on the show. However, she shared that she has high hopes for Sharpe, wherever he lands next.
