ESPN
Former First Take co-host Max Kellerman has spilled about his icy exit from the ESPN staple and exposed Stephen A. Smith in the process.
While appearing on Bill Simmons’ podcast, Max Kellerman — who hosted First Take alongside Stephen A. Smith from 2016 to 2021 — dove deep into his departure from the program and levied numerous shots at SAS.
Among Kellerman’s claims were that Stephen A. got tired of debating him every day, that he never actually has a hot take and that the pair never developed a personal relationship.
Max Kellerman peels back his relationship with Stephen A. Smith, implies SAS got tired of going toe-to-toe with him every day
“Stephen A. was the one partner I’ve ever had, like over years, where I didn’t feel a relationship was really forming. Whatever you feel about who you’re working or what the situation is, to me, a cardinal sin is betraying that on the air. You should always be thinking about making the show more entertaining,” Kellerman said on The Bill Simmons Podcast.
“And I do think it reached a point on that show where it was like, ‘Come on, dude, the first priority is to make good TV.'”
Max Kellerman appeared on Bill Simmons’ podcast and talked about leaving espn First Take. He breaks down his relationship with Stephen A. Smith pic.twitter.com/EezMo9fImL
— joebuddenclips/fanpage (@chatnigga101) December 3, 2025
Max confirming what everybody thought lol… he was too smart for Stephen A lol https://t.co/E9zBmnnlRV
— Jason Maples (@jjmaples55) December 3, 2025
Kellerman also laid out how Smith never really does what the show is designed to create, and that’s provide a hot take.
“The issue with that show is this: what is a hot take? A hot take is a counterintuitive conclusion that. So when you say it, people are going to be like, ‘What are you talking about?!’ ‘Give me 90 seconds, I’ll explain it to you’… Stephen A. has no hot takes. I can’t think of any counterintuitive conclusions that he ever reaches. That’s not his job on the air. His job is to be the big reactor to a counterintuitive take. He’s there to hear the crazy conclusion that his partner has come to and actually be the every man with a loud voice.”
Stephen A never/rarely having a hot take is actually insane now that I think about it
The 4th wall has been broken! https://t.co/BvbwL54V0D
— BSOLZ (@BSOLZ_) December 3, 2025
Since Kellerman departed First Take, the series has instead utilized a rotating cast of co-hosts, such as Chirs ‘Mad Dog’ Russo, Cam Newton, Ryan Clark, Dan Orlovsky, Mina Kimes, and more.