- Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman were co-hosts of First Take for five years
- Kellerman was removed from the show in 2021
- Smith spoke at length about why his pairing with Kellerman was not working
Stephen A. Smith has admitted that he just didn’t like working with Max Kellerman. It was back in September 2021 that Kellerman was removed from his role as co-host on First Take, and on The Joe Budden Podcast, Smith addressed talk of tension between them on the show toward the end.
“I heard some of it. I would take full responsibility for that,” Smith said. “It was totally my fault and the reason why it was my fault is because I didn’t like working with him. It’s just that damn simple. I didn’t like it. I thought the show was stale. I thought that we had flatlined when it came to the public at large, and I’m trying to win. I didn’t want to go from No. 1 to No. 2. when Skip (Bayless) left. I wasn’t having that. That s*** was not gonna happen.”
Smith said that while the ratings hadn’t dropped, they weren’t going up. He felt it was time for change and while he praised Kellerman’s knowledge, he pointed to one big issue with the 50-year-old.
“I had mad respect for him from the standpoint that white dude, highly intelligent, Ivy League–educated from Columbia,” Smith continued. “Smart as a whip. Can talk his a** off. Can talk about anything, and I get all that. But you weren’t an athlete, and you weren’t a journalist and the absence of the two components left people wondering ‘Why should we listen to you?'”
Smith felt Kellerman just didn’t have the cache, which is one of the most important things for having success in that line of work. He then boldly claimed he was carrying the show by himself during their time together.
“It was like I was damn near doing the show by myself because we were oceans apart in terms of cache,” Smith added. “Well, how are you oceans apart from me if you’re sitting across from me five days a week for the whole two hours? Because one of us is resonating and one of us is not in that platform.”
Smith revealed the two of them had numerous 1-on-1 conversations. When it was clear to him that Kellerman wasn’t going to work for their audience, he was going to get someone who did.
The 55-year-old stated he didn’t have the authority to let Kellerman go, but when Budden stated Smith knew the people who did have it, he agreed. He did add that it wasn’t personal, but they haven’t really spoken since then.
“There’s been no conversations since and that’s fine with me,” Smith said. “That’s no problem because it wasn’t like we were boys or anything like that. But at the end of the day, it was all business to me, and it was about, ‘Look, man, I’m trying to win and I don’t believe I can win with you.’ That doesn’t mean it’s your fault. it means we don’t work.”
Smith then revealed how a conversation with management quickly led to the decision to let Kellerman go.
“So when I went upstairs to management my exact words were, ‘Look, if he’s that important to you, give him First Take,'” Smith stated. “I’ll leave. I’m telling you what I said… Two hours later I got the call, ‘We’re making the change.'”
(starts at 2:15:09 mark):
Once he said that, Kellerman was really doomed. Smith was the star of the show, and he knew very well what was going to happen when he told management to pick between them. ESPN was always going to side with him, and Kellerman, who had joined First Take in July 2016, had to go.
Smith Did Not Mention Kellerman Following ESPN’s Huge Lay-Offs
Following his departure from First Take, Kellerman worked alongside Keyshawn Johnson and Jay Williams on ESPN’s morning radio show. It was canceled earlier this year, though, and not long after, Kellerman and a host of other big names were let go by the network.
Smith gave an unfiltered reaction to the firings by ESPN but didn’t mention Kellerman at all. It was just another indicator back then, that the two weren’t exactly on good terms. We aren’t clear what Kellerman is up to now, as he has gone silent following his firing.
First Take Now Completely Revolves Around Stephen A. Smith
Following Kellerman’s departure, Smith has molded the show to his liking. It’s no longer just Smith debating against a single co-host, with some guest appearances sprinkled in.
Now it’s him debating against a rotating cast of characters, and the show seems to be doing well. Recently, it brought in another big name to that cast, with Shannon Sharpe joining Smith on First Take.
Sharpe is more in line with the kind of personality that Smith wants. He is a famous former athlete who has built up a lot of cache working alongside Skip Bayless, and the two will now look to elevate the show to new heights.
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