espn would rather bay less

Skip Bayless Is Leaving ESPN; Better Start Stockpiling Those Hot Takes Now

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Global warming’s on the rise, but we’re about to see a real decline on the Take thermometer: Skip Bayless, the Troll King of ESPN, will leave the Worldwide Leader at the end of August. While he’ll stick out his contract until then, he will reportedly make his final appearance on First Take, the show he and Stephen A. Smith turned into a ratings juggernaut, the day after the end of the NBA Finals in June.

Bayless, one of ESPN’s most popular and controversial personalities, has been with the network since 2004. Deadspin is reporting that he’ll take his LeBron–baiting talents to Fox Sports, where he should be right at home among the network’s growing roster of antagonists, which already includes Colin Cowherd, Jason Whitlock, and Clay Travis.

Skip Bayless Set to Leave ESPN, First Take