As Skip Bayless works to fill the void left by Shannon Sharpe’s departure from Undisputed, he officially announced Lil Wayne would be a contributor to the show.
On the latest episode of The Skip Bayless Show podcast, the Undisputed host revealed Wayne would join the show as a debate partner every Friday for at least one segment. Additionally, Wayne has created a new theme song for Undisputed which Bayless touted as “even better than the original.”
“Wayne has agreed, every Friday going forward, to do a segment with me live,” Bayless said. “He might not always be in the studio depending on his schedule, but he will join me every Friday for a segment. I don’t know, 12, 15 minutes. If he’s hot, if he’s rolling, maybe we’ll keep him a couple segments if he has the time. That, you can look forward to.”
Bayless and Wayne have developed a strong friendship over the years. Earlier this summer, Bayless teased the possibility of Wayne having a role on the revamped Undisputed when it relaunches without Shannon Sharpe on Aug. 28. Now, Wayne’s rumored presence as an Undisputed contributor is set to be a reality.
“He is so deep when it comes to sports,” Bayless said of Wayne. “He doesn’t yell or scream, but he does get emotional, and you hang on his every word because trust me, he has thought through every single word. I like to say I see things and say things that others don’t, Wayne is my match.”
Wayne’s addition fills one of about 50 weekly segments for Undisputed, meaning a lot remains to be seen about how FS1 plans to replace Sharpe on the new Undisputed when it returns later this summer. In June, Sharpe reached a buyout agreement with FS1 and parted ways with Undisputed after nearly eight years as Bayless’s debate partner. The Pro Football Hall of Famer appears to be nearing a deal to join Stephen A. Smith on First Take, the ESPN debate show built by Bayless more than a decade ago.
While Wayne is the first name to drop on the new Undisputed, former NFL Pro Bowler Richard Sherman remains the hottest candidate to fill most of the void left by Sharpe. Sherman worked on Amazon’s Thursday Night Football as an analyst last season and has a history with Bayless, having contributed to one of the most intense athlete vs host interactions ever seen on sports television.
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com