Skip Bayless has broken his silence on Undisputed's hiatus as Fox Sports searches for a replacement for Shannon Sharpe, who was let go by the broadcaster last month.
Bayless and Sharpe had spent seven years duelling across the debate table on the popular daily show, which serves up controversial takes on America's top sporting stories and stars.
However, the show has been off-air since Sharpe departed after the conclusion of the NBA Finals last month. Sharpe – after an up-and-down relationship with his opposite number in recent times – had been bought out of his contract with Fox and his employment was terminated.
Sharpe's final show featured an emotional farewell from the NFL Hall of Fame tight end, who won three Super Bowls across stints with the Denver Broncos and the Baltimore Ravens, and Bayless paid tribute to the contribution he made to the show.
Undisputed has been off the air since and it will remain on hiatus until August 28, just before the start of the NFL season. Bayless, 71, addressed the show's return on social media, posting: "LeBron isn't the only one in the lab this summer. Can't Wait to unveil Undisputed just in time for (the) football season."
However, Bayless' version has been disputed by Front Office Sports, which reports Undisputed's hiatus was unplanned and it has been caused by Fox Sports' inability to find a replacement for Sharpe, who had generated a cult following on social media and enjoyed significant success with his podcast Club Shay Shay off the back of his popularity on Undisputed.
According to the report, the speed of Sharpe's departure was "way faster than expected" and the broadcaster had "no choice" but to take one of its most popular shows off the air to find a worthy adversary for Bayless – who pioneered the hot-take style of debate show alongside Stephen A. Smith on ESPN's First Take before moving to Fox in 2016.
“Skip has never done anything like this during all his years at FS1 or ESPN," an unnamed source told FOS. "Not being on the air during all these NBA moves is killing him.”
Since Undisputed's last show on June 13, Fox Sports has aired repeats of First Things First and Speak in the 9.30am to noon time slot.
Bayless has offered up few details of what the future of Undisputed looks like on his podcast, other than rapper Lil Wayne – the singer of the show's theme tune and a close friend of Bayless – will feature more prominently than before.
“Trust me, it is going to be something, I’d divulge some details, but I’ve been told I have to be tighter-lipped than (Bill) Belichick, so I’m on to Cincinnati,” Bayless said.
