Since Shannon Sharpe’s departure from Undisputed, the show has been off the air for its summer break between the NBA Finals and the NFL season starting. However, the show was apparently finding it difficult to land a co-host that fit what Skip Bayless was looking for and what Fox wanted out of the show.
As a result, the show will take a bit of a cue from First Take by going with a rotating cast of regular analysts joining Bayless rather than a permanent, singular co-host. According to John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal, for the NFL season that will be Richard Sherman (who had already been reported as joining the show) alongside Keyshawn Johnson and Michael Irvin, both of whom were with ESPN last year. Johnson was let go as part of the recent layoffs, and Irvin apparently completed a deal with Fox on Monday.
Skip Bayless' partners on "Undisputed":
* Richard Sherman
* Keyshawn Johnson
* Michael IrvinShow returns with a new format Aug. 28.https://t.co/egIhzlL6ou
— John Ourand (@Ourand_SBJ) August 21, 2023
Irvin was close to a deal when this story was filed last Thursday. Talks cooled over the weekend. The two sides reached a deal today.https://t.co/egIhzlL6ou
— John Ourand (@Ourand_SBJ) August 21, 2023
Per Ourand, Fox is also transitioning away from having Undisputed and other shows being straight debate shows, and instead will feature more panel style discussions that foster a bit more nuance and don’t ask the analysts to always stake out opposing sides of issues. That is a considerable shift and could be a refreshing move away from two guys yelling at each other for a few hours — although, have no fear, that will still happen plenty. I will say it’s a bit disappointing to see Irvin leaving First Take, if only because his somewhat maniacal energy seems like a far better match for Stephen A. Smith than Skip Bayless.
Source: https://uproxx.com/sports/michael-irvin-keyshawn-johnson-skip-bayless-undisputed-nfl-season/
