Shannon Sharpe twice called Stephen A. Smith "Skip" as he blundered on his first appearance on 'First Take'.
The renowned analyst appeared on ESPN’s popular debate show alongside Smith and host Molly Qerim after the NFL Hall of Famer left Fox Sports show ‘Undisputed’ in June where he was co-host alongside Skip Bayless. The former tight end had spent seven years on the show alongside Bayless before making the switch to ESPN this summer.
And on Monday, Sharpe, Qerim and Smith were previewing the new NFL season when Sharpe called the latter by the wrong name. In the opening minutes of the show, Shape said “Skip” to Smith, referring to his former colleague Bayless, before quickly correcting himself.
Sharpe then referred to Smith as “Skip” again later in the program, much to the amusement of his colleague. While making his point, Sharpe said: “You know what, Skip” before pausing after realising his error. Smith then responded by saying, with a smile on his face: “It’s okay”. Sharpe then regained his composure before saying: “It’s been seven years”, referring to the amount of time he shared the screen with Bayless on ‘Undisputed’.
The episode will be the first of Sharpe’s regular appearances on ‘First Take’ alongside Smith. Prior to Sharpe’s first appearance, the ESPN show dominated the ratings last week compared to ‘Undisputed’ on FS1, which now has a new line-up of former NFL stars.
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Since Sharpe’s exit from ‘Undisputed’, the FS1 program recently returned to screens with Bayless continuing to host. He has been joined by Dallas Cowboys legend Michael Irving, former wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson and ex-Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman.
Bayless previously worked alongside Smith during his time at ESPN when he was a co-host on ‘First Take’ with Smith for a number of years before departing in 2016 to eventually move to FS1. Smith has been a regular analyst on ‘First Take’ for ESPN covering both the NFL and the NBA. He will now be joined by Sharpe for the new era of the debate show that is likely to draw in large numbers of viewers over the coming weeks.