‘It’s embarrassing’ – Max Kellerman breaks silence on breakdown of Stephen A. Smith relationship and First Take exit

Max Kellerman has been left in no doubt about who demands to be the star of First Take.

Initially hired as a boxing analyst on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights series, there was a time when Kellerman looked set to be one of the biggest voices in sports broadcasting.

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He was given his own show by the Worldwide Leader in 2002, before pursuing other ventures with Fox Sports, MSNBC CNN and HBO.

In 2016, Kellerman replaced Skip Bayless on ESPN’s flagship show, First Take, and appeared as an analyst alongside Stephen A. Smith and host Molly Qerim.

He went toe-to-toe with the famous talking head at the desk for five years, before a high-profile departure in 2021. Qerim has also since quit the show, and been replaced by Shae Cornette.

In the years that followed, Smith trashed former colleague Kellerman in numerous interview appearances, and repeatedly suggested the pair didn’t like working together.

Kellerman was laid off from ESPN entirely in 2023, and remained silent as Stephan A shot his mouth off.

Four years on from the First Take fallout, though, and he’s finally opened up about what went on behind-the-scenes.

Max Kellerman breaks down ESPN exit

Kellerman has recently waded back into the sports media world, and this week made an appearance on The Bill Simmons Podcast.

He was asked ‘how frustrating’ it was to sit on the sidelines as people like Smith discussed his First Take exit, but admitted he wasn’t fussed about keeping quiet all these years.

“That doesn’t bother me at all,” Kellerman said.

“You’re talking about me. Like, I’m not sweating anybody like that. But I was very flattered, because if you go off the air, you’re not sure that the sports world would care.

The Bill Simmons Podcast

“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.

“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… I’m really not worried about that stuff.”

Max Kellerman fires back on Stephen A. Smith partnership

Simmons then pushed the former ESPN analyst on his relationship with Smith, and hinted that the $105 million star didn’t like debating him.

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“If you’re doing a debate show and you’re a competitive person, why would you want me as a partner?” Kellerman continued.

“That’s bad. You want to go 15 rounds every day with ‘Muhammad Kellerman?’ That’s just bad. It’s embarrassing.”

Kellerman then suggested Smith wanted to position himself as a ‘solo act’ when Simmons noted he was replaced by a ‘rotating’ cast of co-hosts.

He said: “That’s what I could tell you from my point of view.

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“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.”

Smith, of course, has carved out a near-perfect role on First Take. Without him, there is no show.

But for five years, Kellerman made great TV opposite him, and ESPN has struggled to recreate that dynamic since his unceremonious departure.

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