Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless are set to reunite on First Take this Friday, marking a decade since Bayless left the ESPN debate show he helped build to launch a rival program on FS1 with Shannon Sharpe. While the reunion has sparked plenty of chatter, Smith is urging critics to celebrate the moment rather than question its motives.

Addressing the skepticism head-on, Smith pushed back against suggestions that the reunion is a ratings play. "Instead of just celebrating Skip Bayless coming back to First Take for the day, I'm seeing articles asking, 'Why is Skip Bayless coming back?'" Smith said. "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."

Smith dismissed any notion of a ratings slump, pointing to the show's sustained dominance. "We're still number one. We've had record ratings over the last five years. At some point, you can't keep breaking records," he explained. "I had Cam'ron from It Is What It Is on today. I'm always looking for young talent out there."

Of course, the "young talent" comment adds an ironic twist, given that Bayless is 74 years old. But if there's one thing Bayless still brings to the table, it's the ability to spark a reaction—and that's exactly what this reunion is bound to do.

An article from Awful Announcing titled "Why is Skip Bayless coming back to 'First Take' now?" didn't accuse the show of slipping ratings. In fact, it credited Smith with running the "most dominant show" in the space. But it did question whether the reunion was simply a bid for attention—and let's be honest, two hours of Smith and Bayless going head-to-head on national TV is guaranteed to make some noise, even if the ratings don't budge.

"This is what I have to deal with," Smith said with a shrug. "Let them keep the noise coming."