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- Stephen A. Smith gets very honest about the departure of Max Kellerman from ESPN’s ‘First Take.’
- The ESPN personality goes into detail about what exactly was going wrong between the duo.
- Be sure to check out more sports stories at BroBible here.
Max Kellerman left – or was forced to leave – ESPN’s ‘First Take’ over a month ago now, but it’s still a major topic of discussion in the media world as more and more details are coming out about the split between himself and Stephen A. Smith.
Back in early September, Smith admitted that the rumors and reports were true about him being the driving force behind Kellerman’s departure. Smith wanted Kellerman gone, and given where Smith sits on the totem pole at ESPN, his wish was granted.
Now, Smith is offering up even more honest admissions about Kellerman’s exist, specifically the chemistry that he thought was lacking during their final run together.
“I thought it ran its course,” Smith explained on the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast. “Even though we were number one. Numbers were dipping. Chemistry was an issue and you know, we needed to be better. I wasn’t pointing the finger at him. I was saying WE did not work as a pair. The audience was telling us that we had essentially just flatlined. We were the same. We weren’t fresh together.”
Smith has every right to say what he said about Kellerman, and his comments here aren’t necessarily hurtful or wrong.
It’s tough for anyone to bring the same sort of energy Smith does on a debate show. Kellerman had his moments, but there are a select few that can step to the plate with Smith and deliver day after day after day, hence why ESPN is still looking for a permanent replacement for Kellerman.