Stephen A. Smith Sums Up His Fractured Relationship With Skip Bayless

12/23/2024 02:45 PM

For years, Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless dominated sports debate television as the beloved (and occasionally hated) duo on "First Take."

But since the pair's split back in 2016, Stephen A. admits that they don't really have much of a relationship at the moment.

"When I say we don't have a relationship, it's not anything negative from my end," Smith told rapper Cam'Ron during a recent Q&A on his new "Talk with Flee" show. "It's me letting you know, 'Yo, bro, I picked up the phone on several occasions.' He never called me back. To me, if you that kind of person, that doesn't make you bad, it just means that we can't vibe. Because I'm gonna answer a call."

"I got a lot of people over the last year or two that have really, really pissed me off. I'm picking up the phone if they call. There's only one person that I won't pick up the phone for, everybody knows who that is… Skip had his right not to pick up the phone when the whole Shannon thing was going down and that's fine. That's his prerogative. But live with that," the ESPN personality explained.

Smith went on to say that he and Skip had been through too much for the former "Undisputed" host to not reply.

"Our relationship goes back too long for me not to get a call from you when I called you. When you made that decision, cool. Live with your decision," he said. "I will always love Skip, even when I adamantly and emphatically disagree with some of the things he says and does. But the part about not calling me back? Not answering my call? Nah, bro. Anybody that knows me, family included, anybody that knows me knows you don't get too many shots with that with me. I don't pick up the phone too often to call you. If you don't answer my call, you don't answer my call."

Smith previously said the call was in an attempt to tell Bayless how wrong he was to address Sharpe in the way he did on-air. And it doesn't seem like Skip was trying to hear it.

Hopefully they can bury the hatchet one day. But it won't be without Stephen A.'s ex-partner making more of an effort to open the lines of communication.

Related: Stephen A. Smith Has Fired Back At ESPN Announcer Kirk Herbstreit