Just two weeks back, ESPN found itself in fans’ bad books after a pretty massive NFL Draft mess-up. The league had reduced the pick clock from 10 to 8 minutes this season, and ESPN simply couldn’t keep up with the change. The situation was so dire that when fans saw social media, they saw who was drafted at No. 10 while the TV broadcast was still showing No. 7 on the clock! Now, they seem to be doing damage control and earning some brownie points by tapping into something they know usually works: nostalgia.

They are getting back Skip Bayless for a special reunion of First Take with Stephen A. Smith this Friday, May 8. And if you’ve followed the duo, you know that this is more than just a guest appearance; they were the ones who shaped the modern sports debate culture. Two different personalities, completely different viewpoints, and a debate without filter. Who wouldn’t eat that type of telecast right? There was a time when the show actually averaged around 518,000 viewers a day. Now, ESPN is bringing back the other half of this special show, and Bayless is already talking like he owns this space even after years!

In true Bayless fashion, he tweeted: “I AM GOING TO UNLEASH LIKE NEVER BEFORE.”

And honestly, that’s exactly the kind of energy that ESPN might be banking on right now. Because if there’s one thing First Take built its legacy on during those years, it wasn’t agreement; it was conflict. One of the most memorable times was coverage of the Tim Tebow mania.

Skip Bayless was a huge fan and staunch defender of the controversial QB, much to Smith’s chagrin. Their constant debate over the was also a huge part of their stick. Bayless is a huge Cowboys fan, and Smith took up the role of the biggest Cowboys hater. It came to them naturally.

Bayless left the show in 2016, which had caused some friction in his relationship with Smith. The former moved to FS1 to run Undisputed with former NFL icon Shannon Sharpe, which wasn’t as successful as First Take. The pair had now turned into rivals. Smith said he was “pissed” at how Bayless left and later said that he had “moved on” from him. But over the years, that tension has clearly softened into mutual respect. Plus, this is not some random out-of-the-blue reunion either.

Sure, Friday is their much-awaited day to return to the main stage when it comes to ESPN, but personally, they have been softening the ground for a while now. In fact, they were spotted having dinner at Nate ’n Al’s, a famous deli in Beverly Hills. Then, in February this year, Smith actually went on Skip’s digital show, The Arena: Gridiron, for a special episode. But since it wasn’t on a major network like First Take, fans might not remember it. But the Friday episode on First Take is going to be big. However, this reunion has put a major question in the minds of fans. Why is Bayless making a comeback now? What’s the real agenda behind this move?

Stephen A. Smith pushes back on all the ESPN “agenda” talk

Is it about the attention, ratings, or ESPN simply chasing a spike? Now, the timing does make it questionable. See, while most of ESPN’s studio shows are getting good growth, First Take has climbed just 5%. Now compare: Get Up is up 18%; The Pat McAfee Show is up 16%. However, this is not how Stephen A. Smith sees it.

He pushed back on that narrative and made it clear that the decision to get Bayless was not driven at all by numbers or any sort of pressure.

“He’s coming back because I wanted him to come back for a day. Because I haven’t been with my guy in 10 years. Ratings slip? We’re still number one. We’ve had record ratings over the last five years. At some point in time, that’s not going to happen, because how many records can you break? I had Cam’ron from the It Is What It Is podcast and a native New Yorker on today. I’m going to have others on in the future because I’m always looking for young talent out there.”

However, apart from that, neither is pretending that this reunion is going to be calm or polite. Skip Bayless, as we saw already, made it clear that he hasn’t been sitting on the sidelines quietly for the past decade. He has been storing 10 years of disagreements, and Friday is when it all comes out. And Smith, well, he is not treating this as a nostalgia tour either.

Earlier this week, he said, “I hope he’s ready,” Smith said. “Because I’m not going to take any pity on him.” Well, for fans who had thought the show had become boring, Friday’s episode marks a return to the godfathers of the hot take world.

But all indications are that this reunion is a one-off event and not a part of a larger collaboration between the two. The episode is slated to air in First Take’s usual time slot of 10 am ET / 7 am PT.