ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith Reportedly Wanted To Kick Max Kellerman Off ‘First Take’ For Years

Max Kellerman is out at “First Take” and it’s all Stephen A Smith’s doing.

On Tuesday ESPN made it official and announced Kellerman will be leaving the show but will still be prominently featured on ESPN radio.

According to the New York Post’s Andrew Marchand, Smith had wanted Kellerman off the show for years because he felt the show didn’t work well enough with Kellerman as the co-host.

Via The NY Post

Since he has become a giant in the industry, his moves reverberate. Smith has wanted Kellerman off “First Take” for years. Though it wasn’t personal, according to sources, Kellerman has a “smartest guy in the room” attitude, and Smith wanted more of a debating challenger. And ultimately, he wanted it to be him versus the world.

Whatever you think of the hot-take shows, they live on sparks, and Smith and Kellerman never had the flair of Smith and Skip Bayless. Smith has told everyone who needs to know, including Kellerman, that it didn’t work well enough, according to sources. After Smith’s wishes were executed, a fault line from Bristol to New York followed.

Smith had previously denied it was his decision to remove Kellerman from the show.