Skip Bayless reveals he 'couldn't sleep a wink' amid Shannon Sharpe's exit from Undisputed - "I tried and I failed"

Sports media personality Skip Bayless is not taking Shannon Sharpe’s departure lightly.

In a recent episode of Bayless’ eponymous podcast, Alex from New York asked if he slept immediately after finishing Undisputed. The Fox Sports 1 host shared:

"To sum this up, on this past Monday night, ahead of Shannon's departure on Tuesday, I did pull off an all-nighter because I couldn't sleep a wink. I tried, and I failed."

"I was just so keyed up, so worked up, so torn up over what was happening, I just couldn't go to sleep. The truth is, this past Tuesday, I tried to go to sleep in the afternoon, and I had a hard time going to sleep even then."

Skip Bayless jumped ship from ESPN to Fox in 2016. Before parting ways with the sports-focused network, he was doing First Take with Stephen A. Smith. Since then, the Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end and sat across from him at Undisputed’s debate table.

After agreeing to a contract buyout, the curtain on Sharpe’s stint in the program was set to close after the 2023 NBA Finals.

The wild but legendary journey of Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe’s Undisputed

While they agreed on some topics, there were also countless combustible moments during their run. One of the more contentious exchanges was Bayless’ accusation that Sharpe is critical of Tom Brady because of jealousy over the quarterback’s longevity.

Bayless also drew much flak after criticizing quarterback Dak Prescott for not performing well in a game due to depression. When he made those comments, Prescott’s mother had just passed away, while his brother had committed suicide.

There’s also Bayless’ unapologetic attitude about being critical of the NFL’s decision to cancel the game wherein Damar Hamlin suffered a life-threatening injury.

Although they had contrasting takes and testy exchanges, Shannon Sharpe thanked Skip Bayless in his last Undisputed episode.

The three-time Super Bowl champion said:

“You fought for me, bruh. I’m here because of you. You’ve allowed me to share the stage with you. You’ve allowed me to share the platform. The opportunity that you gave me to become what I became, I’m very indebted to you.”

“I’ll never forget what you did for me. You helped me grow more than you ever know. All I ask is, when you lay your head on that pillow at night, know I gave you everything I had. I gave everything I had.”

After roughly 4,300 hours of sports debates, Shannon Sharpe will move on to other endeavors, especially the Club Shay Shay podcast.

Meanwhile, Skip Bayless will remain at Undisputed. He has been on a four-year, $32 million contract with Fox Sports since 2021.

However, his new debate friend or foe remains unknown. Several reports revealed that two-time Super Bowl champion LeSean McCoy might be Sharpe’s successor.