Stephen A. Smith is pushing back after recent comments from former First Take co-host Max Kellerman and former ESPN colleague Marcellus Wiley. Speaking on his Straight Shooter with Stephen A. Smith YouTube show, the ESPN star addressed criticism that he feared debating Kellerman and clarified why he believed the partnership had run its course.
Smith said he felt a responsibility to protect the expectations tied to First Take’s format, particularly after inheriting an audience built during his decade-long run with Skip Bayless.
“There was an audience that was accustomed to Skip Bayless being diametrically different for a decade,” Smith said. “When Max came on the show, the top ratings were handed to us because of what Skip and I were doing. So the audience has an expectation for that show. Anybody that’s in front of the camera has an obligation to be compelled to be pulled towards what the audience wants. That’s how you get ratings.”
Smith maintained he never pushed for Kellerman’s removal out of personal conflict. Instead, he believed the pairing wasn’t delivering the level of television the show required. Even so, he said he only made the suggestion after being confident Kellerman would continue thriving at ESPN.
“If I thought for one second that Max Kellerman would have been fired or unemployed or whatever, I never would have made the suggestion that we needed to part ways,” Smith said. He added that Kellerman is “next level genius,” noting, “That still has nothing to do with debating.”
However, Smith didn’t hide his frustration with what he described as Kellerman’s struggles to engage in the show’s core mission.
“Debating is about point-counterpoint, and the audience is watching,” Smith said. “Do I need to bring up the names of the inordinate amount of people that will come on the air and say, ‘Max, what are you saying?’… We’re talking about a debate show.”
While Smith said he holds no animosity toward Kellerman, he made clear the two were never especially close.
“I wish him nothing but the best,” Smith said. “We ain’t boys or anything like that… but there’s no hatred or animosity from this side.”
Smith also directed sharp criticism toward Wiley, who recently said he understood how Smith felt working with Kellerman. Smith argued Wiley’s comparison was misplaced because Wiley hosted a radio show, not a daily television debate program.
“Marcellus Wiley, you’re saying you know how I feel. No, you don’t,” Smith said. “It was a debate show, not a radio show. The obligations and the responsibilities that came along with it are entirely different.”
Smith added that Wiley’s perspective is incomplete because Wiley has only heard Kellerman’s side, and didn’t reach out for Smith’s version of truth.
“You’ve never called me once to ask me what happened,” Smith said. “You have a slanted perspective, which is cool. Say so.”
Smith’s remarks mark his strongest response yet as the conversation around First Take’s former pairing resurfaced from Kellerman’s appearance on The Bill Simmons Podcast.
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