Max Kellerman has finally spoke about Stephen A. Smith ‘First Take’ partnership.
Well, look who finally broke his silence. Max Kellerman has officially opened up about his tag-team era with Stephen A. Smith on First Take, and the internet is acting like he just leaked the nuclear codes.
For years, fans wondered what really happened between Max and Stephen A. They looked like the perfect debate duo but here is the tea!
“We said we’re going to talk about you leaving ESPN, and you weren’t able to talk about a lot of stuff,” said Simmons. “And a lot of other people were talking, including people you did shows with. How frustrating was it for you to sit on the sidelines, be talked about, but not be able to talk?”
“That doesn’t bother me at all,” replied Kellerman. “You’re talking about me like, I’m not sweating anybody like that. But I was very flattered that… Because if you go off the air, you’re not sure that the sports world would care. But people seemed to care. I was like, ‘Oh, look at that. People are thinking about me.’ I was very flattered by it, to tell you the truth.
“In terms of the stuff that went down behind the scenes, there were things said to me in private early on that, it’s not like anyone said to me, ‘Hey, this is top secret. Don’t repeat this.’ But I think there’s a general understanding that if someone’s talking to you in private, it’s a private conversation. I wouldn’t repeat that unless they said it was okay to repeat what they told me. That’s what I could tell you about, the behind-the-scenes stuff on First Take, for example. But in terms of like, I’m really not worried about that stuff.”
It didn’t end there, there’s more!
“If you’re doing a debate show and you’re a competitive person, why would you want me as a partner?” asked Kellerman. “That’s bad. You want to go 15 rounds every day with ‘Muhammad Kellerman?’ That’s just bad. It’s embarrassing.
“‘I have an idea. This is what I want to put on TV. I want to spar Bud Crawford every day for 15 rounds, and I want everyone to see it.’ Eventually, you’re going to say, I don’t want to do that anymore.”
Kellerman also added that he saw Stephen A. Smith as someone who wanted to go solo rather than a duo.
“That’s what I could tell you from my point of view,” he said. “I also think that if you make a calculation, that if you can be perceived as a solo act, really, that you can get paid at a certain level that you can’t if you’re not a solo act, then you’d like to be a solo act, or at least perceived that way.”
He added that;
“Stephen A was the one partner I’ve ever had over the years where I didn’t feel like a relationship was really forming.”
“I never had to worry about when the little red light came on that it wouldn’t be a show, but it would be like, you don’t want to be undermined.”
Now Kellerman has finally cracked the vault open. And guess what? He wasn’t surprised by Stephen A.’s “we haven’t spoken since” energy. He didn’t act hurt. Didn’t cry. Didn’t write a breakup mixtape. He’s moved on!
