Max Kellerman publicly โคaddressed his contentious split wiht Stephen A. Smith and his โsubsequent departure from ESPN during a recent appearance on The Bill Simmons Podcast,offering insightโค into the dynamic that ledโ to the end of his partnership withโ Smithโ on first Take. โThe interview โฃmarks Kellerman’s โฃmost extensive commentary โto date on the highly publicized professional rift.
The breakdown of Kellerman andโค Smith’s on-air relationship,โฃ a stapleโ of ESPN’sโ morning programming for years, hasโ been โa subject of industry speculation. Their frequently โคenough-heated debates โคdrew significant viewership,butโ reportedly created friction behind the scenes. Kellerman’s departure fromโค ESPN in 2023, following theโฃ cancellation of Keyshawn, โJWillโ & Max, further fueled discussion about the circumstances surrounding his โexit. This new โฃaccount providesโข a direct perspective from Kellerman himself, clarifying the factors thatโฃ contributed to the unraveling โof his ESPN tenure.
According to โWiley,โ who has collaborated with both smith andโฃ Kellerman, Smith’s discomfortโค stemmed fromโฃ Kellerman’s analytical โขapproach.โค “Max is a wholeโ different animal than most players. Most people in this industry โyou can go toe-to-toe with, โyou can fluff with, you can go deepโ with, โขbut โคwhen it comes to that, there’s also an egoโ at play,” Wiley stated.
smith himself has acknowledged โฃinitiating the move to remove Kellerman from First Take, admitting he advocated for the change toโข ESPN leadership. This ultimately ended their โขpartnership in โข2021. Following First Take,Kellerman hosted Keyshawn,JWill & max,which was canceled in 2023,leading toโ his exit fromโข theโค network.
Kellerman’s full appearance on The Bill Simmons โPodcast can be โviewed here.