Skip Bayless says his Troy Aikman relationship has been fixed

Skip Bayless recently shared that things are now “great” between him and Troy Aikman after years of tension, stemming from a rumor mentioned in Bayless’ 1996 book “Hell-Bent.”

On the “Pardon My Take” podcast with hosts Dan “Big Cat” Katz and PFT Commenter (Eric Sollenberger), Bayless revealed that he and Aikman have reconciled and moved past their differences.

Bayless expressed that their relationship is now positive, saying, “Great. We’re in touch, we’re friendly,” when asked about their fallout over the book.

When asked if he implied that Aikman was gay in the book, Bayless clarified, “I did not say … you didn’t read it obviously,” leading Big Cat to joke, “We don’t read.”

Bayless was surprised by Aikman’s initial reaction to the book, as he believed he portrayed Aikman positively. He even personally delivered the first copy of the book to Aikman and was taken aback when Aikman didn’t like it at first. However, they have since patched things up and now communicate via text.

Aikman has not responded to Bayless’ recent comments.

In the book, Bayless did not assert that Aikman was gay but rather discussed a rumor supposedly spread by Barry Switzer’s camp during Switzer’s time as the Cowboys’ head coach.

Despite not further investigating the rumor, Bayless spoke with various sources who all denied the claim of Aikman’s sexuality.

Aikman publicly criticized Fox Sports for hiring Bayless back in 2016, expressing his disappointment and stating that he did not believe Bayless possessed the qualities of a successful and respected individual.

At the time of his comments, Aikman was Fox’s lead NFL analyst, but he later transitioned to ESPN in 2022, while Bayless left Fox Sports in August to pursue digital content creation.