Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman previously collaborated on the ESPN program First Take following the dynamic duo’s breakup. But in 2021, their partnership came to a bitter end. In the past, Smith has been fairly candid about his affections for Kellerman.
The well-known ESPN presenter has recently made public the exact reason he fired Max Kellerman from his program in 2021. Stephen A. Smith appeared on a recent episode of the Joe Budden Podcast and discussed how his friendship with Max Kellerman ended poorly a few years ago.
Smith said that the duo’s breakup was his fault, but he made it obvious that he wanted Kellerman off his show.
Smith said,
“I would take full responsibility for that. It was totally my fault and the reason 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. I didn’t want to go from No. 1 to No. 2. when Skip [Bayless] left. I wasn’t having that. That s–t wasn’t gonna happen,”
Smith continued by saying that despite his admiration for Kellerman, he still wanted to get rid of him because he believed Kellerman would hinder his ability to win the ratings battle.
“I had mad respect for him from the standpoint of White dude, highly intelligent,” said Smith. “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?’”
It just “didn’t work out” between Kellerman & Stephen A. Smith
Stephen A. Smith, a well-known football analyst, has been extremely honest about how he feels about Max Kellerman, a former coworker. Most recently, he discussed the subject in-depth on the Joe Budden podcast.
Smith made the implication that despite not having any power, he contributed to Kellerman’s dismissal. Though the ESPN analyst felt he couldn’t succeed with Kellerman on his show, Smith insisted that they weren’t personally at odds with one another.
Update: Stephen A. Smith says he hasn't spoken to Max Kellerman: 'I didn't like working with him.'https://t.co/1ss1NC02ky
"I didn’t want to go from No. 1 to No. 2 when Skip [Bayless] left. I wasn’t having that. That s— wasn’t gonna happen."
"You weren’t an athlete, and you… pic.twitter.com/G1siND7L7S
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 16, 2023
A few days ago, Kellerman abruptly departed the illustrious sports network. Smith is one of the top hosts of sports talk shows in the industry. As a free agent, Kellerman is considering his choices.
Most people believe that Max’s days were number after Terrell Owens said Max was blacker than Stephen A.
https://twitter.com/BSO/status/1702849014688071829