Fox Sports' (FOX) -) “Undisputed” is going on hiatus, but it’s not because they want fans to learn to miss Skip Bayless.
Bayless tweeted on Wednesday, July 5, the "Undisputed" was going to return on August 28.
"Can't wait to unveil Undisputed just in time for football season," Bayless said.
DON’T MISS: Fox Reportedly Looking at 4 Potential Candidates to Replace Shannon Sharpe on 'Undisputed'
LeBron isn’t the only one in the lab this summer. Can’t wait to unveil Undisputed just in time for football season. https://t.co/fpARm04FJu
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) July 5, 2023
But according to Front Office Sports, the true reason behind the hiatus is because the company is struggling to find a replacement for Shannon Sharpe, who sat across from Bayless on the debate show for seven years before leaving the show last month.
A source told FOS that Sharpe left "way faster than they expected" leaving them "no choice but to go on hiatus."
FOS had previously reported that Bayless had final say in who his future partner would be, but also that few actually wanted to sit across from the fiery debate host. This is after many, including Bayless' friend and ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith, believe that Sharpe's departure was triggered by a rift with Bayless.
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There have already been some potential successors that have been reported, including current Fox sports talents LeSean McCoy, Nick Wright, Emmanuel Acho, and Joy Taylor.
ESPN's mass layoffs from last week have also put more names on the table for Fox to poach, including Keyshawn Johnson and Smith's former "First Take" debate partner Max Kellerman.
