Former First Take co-host Max Kellerman says he left ESPN’s flagship debate show with confidence in his work and clarity about the challenges that come with sitting across from Stephen A. Smith every morning. Appearing on The Bill Simmons Podcast, Kellerman spoke candidly about the dynamics behind the scenes, the on-air expectations, and why he never felt a true relationship formed during his five-year run on the show.
Kellerman said the attention he received following his departure didn’t bother him. In fact, he admitted he was flattered by the reaction. “You’re talking about me… I was very flattered because if you go off the air, you’re not sure that the sports world would care,” he said. “People seemed to care.”
That confidence extended into his view of himself as a debate partner. Kellerman, who often leaned into analytical arguments, said he understood exactly why working with him could feel demanding. “If you’re doing a debate show and you’re a competitive person… why would you want me as a partner?” he joked. “You want to go 15 rounds every day with Muhammad Kellerman? That’s just bad.”
But the competitive spirit never translated into a close bond with Smith. Kellerman described Smith as the one long-term partner with whom a personal relationship never fully developed.
“I didn’t feel like a relationship was really forming,” he said.
Even so, Kellerman insisted that whatever tension existed off-camera should never bleed into the broadcast. “A cardinal sin is betraying that on the air,” he said. “You should always be thinking about making the show entertaining… 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.’”
Kellerman also pulled back the curtain on First Take’s structure and the pressure placed on its co-hosts. He argued the format pushed debate partners into manufacturing contrarian opinions at an unrealistic pace.
“What is a hot take? A counterintuitive conclusion,” he explained. But with a dozen topics a day, he said having 12 counterintuitive takes wasn’t just difficult — it was “insane.”
According to Kellerman, Smith’s role on the show remains misunderstood. He argued Smith isn’t the one delivering the shocking conclusions. Instead, he plays the reactor. “Stephen A has no hot takes,” Kellerman said. “His job is to be the big reactor… to hear the crazy conclusion his partner has come to and be the everyman with a loud voice, like, ‘You are crazy,’ and do it theatrically.”
Kellerman left First Take in 2021 after five years on the program. He served as the first-ever host of Around the Horn and worked in a number of other roles with TV and radio. Kellerman was laid off by the Worldwide Leader in 2023.
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