‘First Take’ Ratings Up 24% for Skip Bayless Return
· Yahoo Sports
The reunion of Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless on ESPN’s First Take was a hit with viewers.
Front Office Sports has learned that Bayless’s first appearance with Smith on First Take in a decade averaged 647,000 viewers, according to Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel ratings system. That’s up 24% from the weekday show’s average viewership from January-May 2026 (520,800) and a 44% hike from the corresponding episode on May 9, 2025.
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The two original masters of the embrace debate format hyped their mano-a-mano rematch like the Thrilla in Manila. That helped spark some impressive numbers on social media.
Friday’s show with Smith, Bayless and new moderator Shae Cornette went viral, generating 33.5 million social impressions, 22 million views and 1.1 million engagements across ESPN social platforms.
ESPN has declined to comment on whether Bayless will return as a recurring debate partner for Smith. But given the numbers generated by Friday’s show—and the surprisingly positive reaction toward the polarizing Bayless—it would be shocking if we didn’t see ESPN pair them up again. Or as Stephen would put it, that would be “blasphemy.”
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