Stephen A Smith is upset over an OutKick article about 'First Take's' ratings

Stephen A. Smith is not happy about an OutKick article published this week about his reunion with Skip Bayless scheduled for later this week.

"Instead of just celebrating Skip Bayless coming back to 'First Take' for the day, I’m seeing articles here on Fox News, Awful Announcing, along with others, and it’s talking about ratings slip," Smith said on his radio show Tuesday.

He is referencing a column for OutKick published the day prior that Fox News placed on its homepage, titled "Skip Bayless to reunite with Stephen A. Smith on ESPN as First Take's ratings slip."

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Smith continued, "He’s coming back because I wanted him to come back for a day. Because I haven’t been with my guy in 10 years. Ratings slip? We’re still number one. We’ve had record ratings over the last five years. At some point, that’s not going to happen, because how many records can you break?"

Ratings slip, indeed.

We mentioned that most of ESPN's daily studio programming is experiencing double-digit growth. Smith's "First Take" is the exception. ESPN recently published a press release touting that "Get Up" is up 18% and "The Pat McAfee Show" is up 16%. "First Take" airs directly between the two programs and is up just 5%, which falls below the standard Big Data + Panel bump.

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We also noted that "First Take" is not only the only program not showing large growth, but also the one that has continued to discuss political, social and racial topics. That hardly seems like a coincidence.

OutKick can also tell you firsthand that ESPN executives have taken notice of "First Take's" stagnant viewership. Considering they recently signed Smith to a five-year, $100 million contract, the lack of growth is a concern. ESPN didn’t pay Smith for what he has done, but for what he is expected to do over the next half-decade.

During the rant, Stephen A. again touted that he is "still No. 1." We have asked him about this claim previously. It doesn't make sense.

"First Take" is not the top show in its time slot, not even close. For example, the Fox News Channel more than triples the show head-to-head. Smith's show is also not No. 1 at ESPN. "PTI" is.

In actuality, "First Take" is only the No. 1 sports show in its time slot. That's it. And that's hardly worth bragging about.

See, every ESPN show is the top-rated sports show in its time slot. There is no other sports network on cable that is competitive. By this metric, even "High Noon with Bomani Jones" was the top show before its cancellation. And his ratings were putrid.

Now, to Bayless' return.

Smith is right that it has been nearly a decade since they appeared together on television. Next month will mark 10 years since Bayless departed ESPN for FS1. Yet what Smith isn't telling you is why it has been so long.

Bayless' last show on FS1 was almost two years ago. He has expressed interest in reuniting with Smith on several occasions. Smith also said on Tuesday that Bayless jumped at the offer to return.

So, what took so long? The answer is Stephen A. Until now, he hasn’t wanted Bayless to return. He said no publicly, beginning with the week after Bayless left FS1 and lost his platform on television.

"Regarding Skip Bayless, ESPN did not consult with me," Smith said about ESPN putting out a statement that it had no interest in bringing Bayless back in 2024. "They didn’t have to.

"But in fairness, and in the interest of transparency, had they asked me, I would have said the same thing that ESPN said. Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith, together as partners, working across from each other on a debate show, is over. It’s been over. And this is not the first time I’ve said it. There’s no negativity or shade being thrown on Skip Bayless. I have moved on."

That part is correct. Smith has said many times before that he did not want to bring Bayless back to "First Take."

Then his ratings began to slip.

Finally, Stephen A. told me directly last November in a text exchange that he was "done" talking to me and reading my columns. Apparently, that is not the case.

Perhaps he would be interested in discussing his issues further. I will offer him a chance to do so privately and on OutKick. We hope he considers.