Skip Bayless, born John Edward Bayless II, is an American sports writer, columnist, and media personality famous for his hot takes and opinions on popular American sports. Bayless was best known for featuring alongside Stephen A. Smith on the ESPN show ‘First Take’ before separating ways in 2016 to be part of Fox Sports 1’s show, Undisputed. Bayless started his media career by working in print journalism and slowly moving on to radio and television.
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One of the first places Skip started working was with the Miami Herald. He published his first book, God’s Coach: The Hymns, Hype and Hypocrisy of Tom Landry’s Cowboys on the rise and fall of Tom Landry’s Dallas Cowboys, in 1989. Bayless was also the lead sports columnist for the Chicago Tribune for 17 years and has appeared in numerous sports publications such as Sports Illustrated.
Many fans have often wondered how much the veteran analyst would be worth after such an expansive career in sports media. In this article, we dive deeper into the early life, career, earnings, and net worth of Skip Bayless.
Date of Birth December 4, 1951
Age 76
Nationality American
Net Worth $17-18 Million
Marital Status Married
Early Life
Skip Bayless was born and raised in Oklahoma City. He earned the nickname ‘Skip’ from his father, who also called his mother the same name to denote ‘the skipper of the ship.’ Bayless was never called John by his parents and eventually stuck with the name to be legally changed to Skip. Bayless’ parents operated the Hickory House restaurant in Oklahoma City, where Skip worked briefly as a youth.
High School and College
Skip was interested in sports from an early age and started out by playing baseball and basketball. One of his school’s English teachers first encouraged him to become the primary sports columnist for the school newspaper during his junior and senior years. Upon graduation, Bayless was awarded the Grantland Rice Scholarship to attend Vanderbilt University for his college education.
At Vanderbilt, Bayless majored in English and History and graduated with cum laude in 1974. During his time at college, Bayless was a sports editor for his university’s student newspaper called The Hustler and had interned in 1969 under Frank Boggs at The Daily Oklahoman. At college, Bayless was also a Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity member and served two years as the society’s ‘rho’ (sports director).
Media Career
Skip Bayless started his media career at the Miami Herald, where he worked for two years after college. Soon after, he started working with the Los Angeles Times in 1976, where he was best known for his investigative stories on the Dodgers. Bayless was awarded the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Newspaper Writing in 1977 for covering the Seattle Slew’s Triple Crown victory.
Bayless peaked in his print journalism career when he started working with the Dallas Morning News and the Dallas Times Herald. During this time, he also wrote several books on the Dallas Cowboys, including one following the Cowboys’ Super Bowl victory in 1993. His most prominent book, Hell Bent: The Crazy Truth About the ‘Win or Else’ Dallas Cowboys, caused a stir across national media. Bayless’ book appeared controversial as the veteran media analyst reportedly labeled Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman as gay while describing his feud with the coach Barry Switzer.
Bayless worked in Dallas for 17 years and moved on to become the lead columnist for the Chicago Tribune in 1998. Bayless has also published his works in notable sports publications such as Sports Illustrated. The veteran analyst reached the zenith of his media career when signed with ESPN to team up with fellow analyst Stephen A. Smith on the show ‘First Take’. However, in 2016, Bayless parted ways with ESPN to feature alongside Shannon Sharpe in Fox Sports 1’s new show ‘Undisputed’.
Throughout his media career, Bayless has been known for being a sharp critic of LeBron James and Aaron Rodgers on First Take and FS1’s Undisputed.
Salary
Skip Bayless’s reported annual salary for hosting Undisputed is around $5-8 million. In 2021, Bayless signed a four-year contract worth $32 million with Fox Sports, amidst the interests of ESPN willing to bring him back to First Take again.
Net Worth
As of 2024, Skip Bayless’ net worth is estimated to be around $17-18 million, as per Celebrity Net Worth and ClutchPoints.
FAQs
- How much is Skip Bayless paid?
Skip Bayless earns an annual income of around $5-8 million from his four-year $32 million contract from Fox Sports.
- Who is Skip Bayless married to?
Skip Bayless is married to his wife Ernestine Sclafani, whom he first met in 2005. The couple got engaged in 2010 and secretly tied the knot in July 2016.
- Which show does Skip Bayless host?
Skip Bayless currently hosts the show Undisputed on Fox Sports 1.
- Is Skip Bayless related to a famous person?
Skip Bayless is the brother of the well-known chef, Rick Bayless.
