Shannon Sharpe was not in mid-season form when he made his debut as Stephen A. Smith’s new co-host on ESPN’s “First Take,” and the popular analyst hilariously made the Hall-of-Famer aware of it on Tuesday.
When it comes to the media side of the NFL and sports, there has been no bigger story in the industry than Shannon Sharpe’s Summer departure from the beloved FS1 sports talk show “Undisputed.” The former Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens star left the series in June after he and co-host Skip Bayless could not repair the growing divide in their years-long partnership.
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Sharpe was not a multimedia free agent for too long, and in August it was revealed that he would take his talents to the competition, and occasionally serve as a co-host during NFL segments for highly successful rival sports talk show “First Take.” On Monday, the football legend made his debut on the ESPN series, however, it was far from perfect.
Stephen A. Smith trolls Shannon Sharpe with name tag during Tuesday’s ‘First Take’
During several debates, Sharpe fell back into the habits he developed during nearly seven years working with Bayless, and consistently called Stephen A. Smith, “Skip.” Obviously, the 55-year-old is going to need many more reps at the desk to break the habit, but the popular host hilariously mocked Sharpe’s mistake on Tuesday.
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During today’s edition of “First Take,” the New York native trolled his new co-host by wearing a name tag with Stephen A. on it to remind his former competitor his name is not Skip. A picture of the moment can be found below and Smith’s face is a perfect addition to the funny moment.
ESPN’s “First Take” with Stephen A. Smith, Molly Qerim, and now Shannon Sharpe airs weekday mornings from 10 AM to 12 PM ET.