Skip Bayless, Aqib Talib, and Jay Gruden joining football podcast on Gilbert Arenas’ network

If you’ve missed hearing Skip Bayless talk about football, for some reason, your wait is over.

Bayless told The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand that he is joining forces with Gilbert Arenas on a new podcast called The Arena: Gridiron, which will feature Bayless, former NFL cornerback Aqib Talib, and former NFL coach Jay Gruden.

Per Marchand, Arenas will also appear on the show, while former NFL players Gerald McCoy and Cody Kessler will be guests. Social media influencer Kinsey Wolanski will host the show, which premieres next Tuesday and will air three times a week. The show will be produced and owned by Underdog, which also produces Arenas’ Gil’s Arena show.

“I’m not exaggerating to you,” Bayless told Marchand. “I’m telling you, the God’s truth, I’m more on fire for this than I have ever been.”

Bayless also shared with Marchand that he had no qualms about working with Arenas in the midst of an FBI probe into accusations he was involved with running an illegal gambling business.

“They have no concerns,” Bayless said. “I’ve talked to Gil. He has no concerns. I mean, he’s obviously concerned, but he believes he did nothing at all wrong, except rent out his space, and I believe in him.”

Bayless is no stranger to legal matters, as he was named in a lawsuit by former FS1 hairstylist Noushin Faraji, who alleged that Bayless offered her money for sex. Faraji filed a request to dismiss the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court earlier this month, a move that tends to indicate a settlement is forthcoming. Bayless left FS1 in 2024.

Joy Taylor, who was also named in that lawsuit and recently left FS1, was also a target of Arenas’s, though it’s unclear in what capacity.

With the creation of this new show, Arenas’ channel will rebrand to become The Arena presented by Underdog.

“I’m back in the saddle in the debate arena,” Bayless said. “I live for this. I love this. And I’m not one who curses, but they actually worked me into such a frenzy in the rehearsals that I came close to uttering my first F-bomb.”