*Shannon Sharpe is helping ESPN’s “First Take” crush viewership records.
The NFL Hall-of-Famer joined Stephen A. Smith and Molly Qerim on Sept. 4 after leaving FS1’s “Undisputed” in June. According to The Street, the viewership for his debut month is the highest in the show’s history — up 18% from last year.
This month also marks the 14th consecutive month the show has seen a year-over-year rise in viewers.
The number of viewers for Sharpe’s first two shows on Sept. 4 and 5 increased by 24 percent over last year’s comparable shows, according to ESPN. A week later, “First Take” had 672,000 viewers.
When Smith appeared on The Joe Budden Podcast, he noted that Sharpe was being pushed out of Fox Sports 1.
“I’m telling you he was pushed out,” Smith said.
“But, then again, that’s his story to tell,” he added. “But, I’m telling you what I know and I’m giving you facts. And so, when I saw that…it wasn’t just that I know the brother’s talented. It wasn’t just that I know that he’s a three-time Super Bowl champion and an NFL Hall of Famer. It wasn’t just that I knew he was in television the last six years. I saw me from the standpoint of I was let go in 2009 and left for dead.”
Sharpe will join Smith every Monday and Tuesday during the NFL season, according to the New York Post.
Smith confirmed during a broadcast last month that Sharpe was leaving “Undisputed” to join ESPN.
“I honestly didn’t know I had an announcement to make until literally 60 seconds ago, but I was informed that it’s official,” Smith told viewers at the time, Uproxx reported.
“It’s all about not standing still and taking it to another level, and official, this morning, Mr. Shannon Sharpe will be joining the crew,” Smith continued. “He will be joining First Take, it is official, Shannon Sharpe is coming to First Take. He will debut Monday, September 4th, he will be on here every Monday and Tuesday with yours truly, of course, the crew — Dan Orlovsky, Kimberly, Marcus Spears, Mad Dog Russo, Ryan Clark and the crew.”
READ MORE: Stephen A. Smith Wears Name Tag After Shannon Sharpe Calls Him ‘Skip’ | Watch
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