Since co-host Max Kellerman was removed from ESPN’s sports talk show First take, Stephen A. Smith, always outspoken, did not hesitate to express his desire for the couple to separate. He discussed the subject in detail with Jimmy Traina on SI media podcast in Septembersaying the two no longer worked well as a team.
Speaking in an interview with Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, one of the new First take On Thursday, Smith explained what led to the erosion of his working relationship with Kellerman.
“I was very, very honest in saying that I thought the show needed a change. But what I also said to the bosses was, “Look, I think our time together is over. If you want to keep him on the show and not me, and you want me to do something else that you think might be more beneficial and more profitable for the company, then so be it,” Smith said. “But in the end, I knew it was time for us to go our separate ways.”
Smith was complementary to Kellerman, both in a professional and personal sense, and was happy that the longtime boxing analyst was “doing big things now.” But the talkative media personality instinctively felt their partnership had reached its end.
“We were together for five years. I’ve been doing this for 10 years, I feel like when something gets a little stale and the audience doesn’t seem to gravitate towards us like they used to,” Smith said. “And that’s what it is. So when I looked at him, I said, “This guy is very smart, he’s done radio, he’s done television. I know he’s going to get back up, there’s no way on Earth he’s going to get screwed or anything like that. He’s an incredibly good guy, very caring, a good person, and I think he’s doing great things now. I think I proved myself right.
Kellerman now hosts his own ESPN program, This just happenedat 2 p.m. ET, with ESPN2 Max on boxing and his place as co-host of the ESPN Radio show Keyshawn, JWill and Maxwhich is simulcast on ESPNews.
After Smith detailed what led to their professional split, Russo asked if the two had a good relationship now, with Smith not willing to go that far.
“I wouldn’t characterize it as that,” Smith said. “I wouldn’t call it good or bad. We don’t communicate, but we are very respectful to each other. We say hello when we see each other, but we go our separate ways.
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