Skip Bayless’ rise to fame began way back in the middle 1970’s when he was a columnist for
the L.A.Times. And that’s really how his MANAICAL passion for sports really began.
When Skip and Shannon: UNDISPUTED launched in 2016, Skip’s career took full force as—for
the first time in his long career—he earned the face of a national live
TV sports debate show and has since taken Skip’s career to new heights.
But before his wildly successful career in sports, Skip—although he rarely brings up the
subject—came up through a turbulent childhood... and to two “unwilling”
parents that he said he was “blessed” to have.
Skip never had much of any relationship with
his parents — the only thing he recalled was getting his nickname “Skip” from his father.
His father... who Skip once told the story about, saying:
“When he got mad, which was often, he hit me in the face with his open right hand,
always making sure he caught me in the cheek or lip or eye with his wedding ring, which
would leave a bruise or welt or a little taste of blood... he was nothing but a COWARD of a bully.”
Which all makes his career so fascinating to really uncover.
In spite of abusive parents serving him little to no guidance, Skip (to this day) uses it as
fuel that brings out the spirited and merciless television personality,
we often see on our TV screens – a personality that Skip describes as a “natural-born FIGHTER.”
As moving as Skip’s story is, it’s really his hot takes and rage-inspiring remarks he makes on TV
about some of the biggest athletes in the world...
Namely, one LeBron James.
Skip’s calling card throughout his career has been he takes on LeBron... to the point where even
LeBron’s NBA peers have even called Skip out for his harsh critiques of LeBron:
One of LeBron’s fiercest rivals, Draymond Green, once said:
“You’ve attached your name to a black man all these years... you try to tear him down.”
Whether fair or foul, it is HUGE entertainment that, in part,
REALLY helps Skip make a small fortune... more on that later.
Career
Skip credits Cold Pizza—now known as First Take—for helping him curate his
inane daily routine that helps him (as he likes to say) DOMINATE the debate desk.
Skip recounts having to wake up at 5 am daily to do the show on ESPN when it was done in New York.
And he’s stayed the course throughout all his years, even now living in Los Angeles... which
is of course 3 hours behind East Coast time – he said: “every clock in the house is on east coast
time because I try to trick my mind into thinking it’s really 5 o’ clock when it 2 o’ clock...
Yeah – this psychopath really wakes up at 2AM every single day of the week
to work out and get ready for the show.
Skip began the rise to TV stardom back in 2003 when he was the star
of the debate show known as Cold Pizza. But after just 3 seasons,
the show rebranded as what we know today as ESPN’s flagship show ‘First Take.’
But it wasn’t until 2012 that ESPN decided that the pairing of Stephen A. Smith and Skip is an
entertainment match made in heaven. First Take’s ratings blew up starting
in 2012 when Skip and Stephen A. shared the floor on live television daily.
Skip really became a TV superstar during the years he was on First Take. And that’s when Skip
became notorious for criticizing players who didn’t’ have the ‘clutch gene’ in basketball
and lauded players who were clutch... which predictably started a fire storm among fans
and viewers and helped Skip become arguably the most recognizable name in all of sports media.
Come 2016, Skip’s already prosperous career leveled up... he was met with the opportunity to
become THE face of Fox Sports and famed debate show “Undisputed” that first
aired in September 2016 – now with his latest partner in crime Shannon Sharpe.
The camaraderie Skip and Shannon have developed over the years has given us
wild entertainment and has dazzled in the television rankings... so much so that Undisputed
tallied a greater viewership in the show’s first year than did Skip’s former show First Take.
Skip has since recently started his own podcast known as the ‘Skip Bayless Show'
where his gives his unfiltered, unmitigated opinions and insights that he says that he
doesn’t get the chance to say or speak about live on Undisputed.
It’s an idea that Skip got after several of his ‘Skip
Rides the Trollercoaster’ episodes earned lots of attention because...
hey –- he’s Skip, and everyone wants to know more about his pyscho-mentality.
Contracts
Although it isn’t clear how much money Skip was offered when he first signed with ESPN to do
Cold Pizza and then First Take, Skip a few years back gave us a bit of insight
as to what he thought about his early contracts.
When the topic of Skip’s contracts at ESPN was broached in an earlier interview, Skip said:
“Quick point of order, I did NOT make a ton of money at ESPN... By what I was giving them, I
was poorly paid. I was the most underpaid on-air talent at ESPN for 12 years –- that’s my opinion.
Not in the end, they came around, but that went on for a long time.”
Fast forward to 2016 when Skip’s contract at ESPN was up, the network reportedly pushed
to bring Skip back and to continue the highly successful TV partnership of he and Stephen A.
But he thought that the opportunity was calling elsewhere... and well –- more money.
Fox Sports did ESPN one better by putting a 4-year,
roughly $20 million offer sheet at the feet of Skip... which he gracefully accepted.
When Skip’s contract expired in September 2020, Fox Sports cut him an even bigger
check –- this time another 4-year deal worth north of $32 million.
But it was actually during this time another story was brewing behind the scenes.
ESPN was reportedly trying to get Skip to come BACK to the network to relink with Stephen A
and offered a contract reportedly worth in the range of $6-7 million annually.
The plan was for the two of them to do a program on ESPN+ in order to help the platform launch
in the public eye. We don’t exactly know how Skip felt about all of this...
but Stephen A. reportedly made a STRONG push for having Skip back.
Of course, that never happened despite discussions over the course of several months.
But hey, with the level of showmanship Skip has shown on TV all these years,
who’s to rule out a future reunion between the ex-co-stars.
Diet and Fitness
As much as Skip is a crusader for his words on TV,
he is also known for maintaining his fitness –- even now into his 70s.
Skip once revealed that in all his years covering and debating sports,
he’s missed a cardio session just ONCE... back in 1998. Even with 2AM wake ups,
Skip gets on the treadmill everyday for 1 hour so he can prepare to debate Shannon Sharpe.
His dedication to fitness extends as far as icing his knees before bed each night to keep his joints
conditioned. And speaking of going to bed... Skip says he
is “lucky” if he gets to sleep more than 3 hours every night.
He arrives on the Undisputed set at 4AM... the show doesn’t even start until 6:30!
“Broccoli is the world’s most perfect food.”
I think you know where we’re headed with this... green vegetables, grilled chicken... on repeat.
Hey, at least he gets his 1 slice of pizza he and his wife each share every Friday.
Is there anyone that rivals Skip’s devotion to health and fitness?
Talk about dedication.
Cars
Don’t think that Skip’s intense lifestyle doesn’t call for any fun because Skip LOVES fast cars. “I
would like to think I’ve driven them safely and wisely... but I’ve had my share of Porsches.
In 2019, Skip bought the Corvette ZR1 after going YEARS trying to find the make
and the colors of the car that he wanted. “755 horsepower, 7-speed stick shift...
trust me, it’s one badass automobile.”
Skip has his number of fast cars, that’s for certain. Talk about living in the fast lane.
Love Life
After meeting her on the set of First Take years ago,
Skip recounts how his now wife Ernestine and he met in the sort of the unusual way they did.
Skip and Ernestine Bayless got married in 2016 and Skip describes his wife as a “GOAT”
and says he’s thankful for how Ernestine puts up with Skip’s often raucous way of living.
Even when Skip told Ernestine that “you will always be second to my career,” she
accepted Skip’s ambitions and since and kindled a strong relationship with him...
Which is a HUGE testament to Ernestine if you think about it.
I mean, she even wrote a book on what it's like living with a maniac like Skip, seriously. It
is called Balls: How to keep you relationship alive when you live with a sports-obsessed guy.
Props to you Ernestine for living with nutty guy like Skip.
6 years later, their relationship remains intact, and Ernestine even made an appearance on
Undisputed, which Skip calls one of his favorite moments of his career.
His career is a stuff of legends. Some of his hot takes calls for some brutal
criticism to Skip from viewers and listeners... but that lifestyle – you can’t help BUT respect.
Net Worth
And now they moment you have been waiting for. How much is Skip Bayless worth? With
everything going on in Skip’s Life, He has a net worth of around $17 million dollars.
Big Time Baller in the house. Talking about sports can really pay off.