{"id":21166,"date":"2025-12-04T12:45:27","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T16:45:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-and-earn-more-money-former-espn-partner-finally-reveals-why\/"},"modified":"2025-12-04T12:46:02","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T16:46:02","slug":"78087-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/78087-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn\/","title":{"rendered":"Stephen A. Smith wanted Max Kellerman off First Take to be a solo act and earn more money, former ESPN partner finally reveals why"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stephen A. Smith<\/b> wanted Max Kellerman<\/b> off ESPN’s “First Take”<\/b> to become a solo act and command higher pay. This revelation emerged publicly during Kellerman’s appearance on “The Bill Simmons Podcast”<\/b> on December 2, 2025, breaking years of silence about their partnership split.<\/p>\n

\n

\ud83d\udd25 Quick Facts<\/h3>\n
    \n
  • Max Kellerman<\/b> and Stephen A. Smith<\/b> partnered on “First Take”<\/b> from 2016 to 2021<\/b> before their split<\/li>\n
  • Kellerman<\/b> was removed from the show in 2021<\/b> after Smith<\/b> pushed ESPN executives to make the change<\/li>\n
  • Smith<\/b> confirmed in 2021<\/b> that he wanted Kellerman<\/b> off the show, later admitting the partnership had become stale<\/li>\n
  • Kellerman<\/b> believes Smith<\/b> wanted to be perceived as a “solo act”<\/b> to earn more money and maintain full control of the show’s direction<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n

    The Real Reason Behind First Take’s Biggest Breakup<\/h2>\n

    Max Kellerman<\/b> used boxing analogies<\/b> to explain the fundamental incompatibility that led to the split. He said competing with Smith<\/b> every day created friction that became counterproductive.<\/p>\n

    Kellerman<\/b> explained, “If you’re doing a debate show and you’re a competitive person, why would you want me as a partner? That’s bad. You want to go 15 rounds every day with ‘Muhammad Kellerman’? That’s just bad. It’s embarrassing.” He believed Smith<\/b> grew tired of the constant intellectual challenges.<\/p>\n

    The Solo Act Theory: Money and Control<\/h2>\n

    Kellerman<\/b> articulated a calculation that motivated Smith’s<\/b> decision. “If you can be perceived as a solo act, really, that you can get paid at a certain level that you can’t if you’re not a solo act, then you’d like to be a solo act, or at least perceived that way,” he said during the podcast.<\/p>\n

    This financial motivation resonates with entertainment industry dynamics where singular personalities command premium contracts. Smith<\/b>, as the show’s primary anchor and executive producer, could position himself as the irreplaceable talent worth more money by becoming the sole central figure.<\/p>\n

    How Stephen A. Smith Confirmed the Breakup Story<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    Timeline Element<\/td>\nWhat Stephen A. Smith Said<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    September 2021<\/td>\nAdmitted to wanting Kellerman<\/b> off the show due to partnership problems<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    2023<\/td>\nClaimed the show had become “stale”<\/b> and “flatlined”<\/b> with Kellerman<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    2024<\/td>\nSaid “chemistry”<\/b> was the real issue, admitting it was “mostly my fault”<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Ongoing<\/td>\nPointed to improved show performance with other co-hosts as proof<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

    Stephen A. Smith<\/b> has publicly confirmed multiple times that he pushed ESPN<\/b> leadership to remove Kellerman<\/b> from “First Take.”<\/b> During a Hot 97<\/b> interview in September 2021<\/b>, Smith<\/b> stated directly: “Yes, I did want him off the show. We just didn’t have a great partnership anymore. It needed to change.”<\/p>\n

    Two years later, Smith<\/b> revisited the topic on “The Joe Budden Podcast”<\/b> in 2023<\/b>, claiming the show had become “stale”<\/b> and needed new energy. He emphasized his concern about “First Take”<\/b> slipping from its position as the number one sports talk show.<\/p>\n

    Expert Perspective: Marcellus Wiley’s Corroboration<\/h2>\n

    Former ESPN colleague Marcellus Wiley<\/b>, who worked alongside Kellerman<\/b> on “SportsNation”<\/b> and has been publicly critical of Smith<\/b>, echoed Kellerman’s<\/b> analysis during a recent update.<\/p>\n

    Wiley<\/b> stated: “Max is so smart that when you talk, if you’re not standing 10 toes down on what you’re talking about, it creates tension over hours of content. Most people in this industry you can go toe-to-toe with, you can fluff with, you can go deep with, but when it comes to that, there’s also an ego at play.” This assessment suggests Smith’s<\/b> competitive nature clashed with Kellerman’s<\/b> intellectual rigor.<\/p>\n

    What Happens Now After Five Years of Silence?<\/h2>\n

    Max Kellerman<\/b> transitioned to “Keyshawn, JWill & Max”<\/b> after his “First Take”<\/b> exit in 2021<\/b>, but that program was ultimately canceled in 2023<\/b>, leading to his complete departure from ESPN.<\/b> Meanwhile, Stephen A. Smith<\/b> continued hosting “First Take”<\/b> with rotating guest co-hosts including Michael Irvin<\/b> and Tim Tebow.<\/b><\/p>\n

    In October 2025<\/b>, ESPN<\/b> announced that Shae Cornette<\/b> would replace Molly Qerim<\/b> as “First Take’s”<\/b> new host. Cornette’s<\/b> first show with Smith<\/b> aired on November 3, 2025<\/b>, marking yet another significant format change for the show that has continued evolving years after Kellerman’s<\/b> departure.<\/p>\n

    Sources<\/h3>\n
      \n
    • Yahoo Sports<\/b> – Max Kellerman<\/b> reveals real reason for removal from First Take<\/b><\/li>\n
    • VIBE<\/b> – Max Kellerman<\/b> Breaks Silence on Stephen A. Smith<\/b> and ESPN<\/b> Drama<\/li>\n
    • Times of India<\/b> – Max Kellerman<\/b> reveals how Stephen A. Smith<\/b> ended their partnership<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":21165,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"schema_org_data":"{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Stephen A. Smith\",\"image\":\"https:\/\/image.tmdb.org\/t\/p\/w500\/oADRDqnQBjkzpabmMHfO4SKNTvo.jpg\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.themoviedb.org\/person\/1219638\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Max Kellerman\",\"image\":\"https:\/\/image.tmdb.org\/t\/p\/w500\/yqqiZXjbMBDEEMrVtioBYslScxl.jpg\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.themoviedb.org\/person\/1218769\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Bill Simmons\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.themoviedb.org\/person\/3120148\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Marcellus Wiley\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.themoviedb.org\/person\/1315815\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Michael Irvin\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.themoviedb.org\/person\/2264844\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Tim Tebow\",\"image\":\"https:\/\/image.tmdb.org\/t\/p\/w500\/dVtk9rgfmPmSa7jKQybbde3mmVT.jpg\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.themoviedb.org\/person\/79065\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Shae Cornette\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Molly Qerim\"},{\"@type\":\"TVSeries\",\"name\":\"First Take\",\"image\":\"https:\/\/image.tmdb.org\/t\/p\/w500\/4x7kw3g8AaryUN9pCC7BFAUMIpA.jpg\",\"aggregateRating\":{\"@type\":\"AggregateRating\",\"ratingValue\":6,\"bestRating\":\"10\",\"ratingCount\":2},\"description\":\"First Take is an American morning sports talk program on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD. Two back-to-back two-hour episodes air each weekday from Monday through Friday, with the live episode airing from 10 a.m. ET until noon, followed by a repeat.\\n\\nThe show is broadcast from ESPN's headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut in Studio E.\\n\\nThe entire show, without commercials, is available as an audio-only podcast the afternoon of the same day, following the broadcast of the recorded show.\"},{\"@type\":\"TVSeries\",\"name\":\"SportsNation\",\"dateCreated\":\"2009-07-06\",\"description\":\"SportsNation is a sports-related television program that airs on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN America and ESPNews. The series is based on SportsNation, the fan forum and poll section of ESPN.com. The show is typically 60% material generated or suggested by fans, including videos from the internet, athlete Tweets, and online polling. The show had aired in occasional segments on ESPN and ESPN2 before becoming a fixture of ESPN2's weekday afternoon block in September 2011.\\n\\nAs of June 2013, the SportsNation hosts are Max Kellerman and Marcellus Wiley and is produced at ESPN's Los Angeles studios. From July 6, 2009 until December 20, 2012, SportsNation was taped at ESPN's world headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut. The initial hosts were Colin Cowherd, who hosts the ESPN Radio midday program The Herd with Colin Cowherd, and Michelle Beadle, who joined ESPN from the YES Network. On June 1, 2012, Beadle left to join the NBC family of networks as a sports and entertainment contributor and was replaced by Numbers Never Lie host Charissa Thompson. Cowherd announced his departure from SportsNation in September 2012 to focus more on his radio work, and his final episode aired on December 21, 2012. Wiley, who is a contributor to various programs on ESPN and who is based in Los Angeles, was announced as his replacement.\"}]}","_extracted_celebrities":null,"_extracted_movies":null,"_extracted_places":"","_extracted_videos":"","_last_enrichment_date":"2025-12-04 12:46:28","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33"],"yoast_head":"\nStephen A. Smith wanted Max Kellerman off First Take to be a solo act and earn more money, former ESPN partner finally reveals why<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/78087-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Stephen A. Smith wanted Max Kellerman off First Take to be a solo act and earn more money, former ESPN partner finally reveals why\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/78087-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Red94\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-04T16:45:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-04T16:46:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jessica Morrison\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jessica Morrison\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/78087-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/78087-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jessica Morrison\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/1392757aee97e2eaf6264cfe538812da\"},\"headline\":\"Stephen A. Smith wanted Max Kellerman off First Take to be a solo act and earn more money, former ESPN partner finally reveals why\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-04T16:45:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-04T16:46:02+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/78087-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn\/\"},\"wordCount\":732,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/78087-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/88893-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn.jpg.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Entertainment\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/78087-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/78087-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/78087-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn\/\",\"name\":\"Stephen A. Smith wanted Max Kellerman off First Take to be a solo act and earn more money, former ESPN partner finally reveals why\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/78087-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/78087-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/88893-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn.jpg.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-04T16:45:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-04T16:46:02+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/78087-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/78087-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/78087-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/88893-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn.jpg.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/88893-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn.jpg.png\",\"width\":1360,\"height\":768,\"caption\":\"Stephen A. Smith wanted Max Kellerman off First Take to be a solo act, former ESPN partner finally reveals\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/78087-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Entertainment\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/entertainment\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Stephen A. Smith wanted Max Kellerman off First Take to be a solo act and earn more money, former ESPN partner finally reveals why\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/\",\"name\":\"Red94\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Red94\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Logo-Red94.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Logo-Red94.png\",\"width\":289,\"height\":90,\"caption\":\"Red94\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/1392757aee97e2eaf6264cfe538812da\",\"name\":\"Jessica Morrison\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/wp-content\/plugins\/generateperf\/images\/icons\/avatar.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/wp-content\/plugins\/generateperf\/images\/icons\/avatar.svg\",\"caption\":\"Jessica Morrison\"},\"description\":\"Jessica Morrison is a seasoned entertainment writer with over a decade of experience covering television, film, and pop culture. After earning a degree in journalism from New York University, she worked as a freelance writer for various entertainment magazines before joining red94.net. Her expertise lies in analyzing television series, from groundbreaking dramas to light-hearted comedies, and she often provides in-depth reviews and industry insights. Outside of writing, Jessica is an avid film buff and enjoys discovering new indie movies at local festivals.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/author\/jessica-morrison\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Stephen A. Smith wanted Max Kellerman off First Take to be a solo act and earn more money, former ESPN partner finally reveals why","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/78087-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Stephen A. Smith wanted Max Kellerman off First Take to be a solo act and earn more money, former ESPN partner finally reveals why","og_description":"…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/78087-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn\/","og_site_name":"Red94","article_published_time":"2025-12-04T16:45:27+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-12-04T16:46:02+00:00","author":"Jessica Morrison","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jessica Morrison","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/78087-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/78087-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn\/"},"author":{"name":"Jessica Morrison","@id":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/1392757aee97e2eaf6264cfe538812da"},"headline":"Stephen A. Smith wanted Max Kellerman off First Take to be a solo act and earn more money, former ESPN partner finally reveals why","datePublished":"2025-12-04T16:45:27+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-04T16:46:02+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/78087-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn\/"},"wordCount":732,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/78087-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/88893-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn.jpg.png","articleSection":["Entertainment"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/78087-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/78087-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn\/","url":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/78087-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn\/","name":"Stephen A. Smith wanted Max Kellerman off First Take to be a solo act and earn more money, former ESPN partner finally reveals why","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/78087-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/78087-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/88893-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn.jpg.png","datePublished":"2025-12-04T16:45:27+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-04T16:46:02+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/78087-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/78087-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/78087-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/88893-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn.jpg.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/88893-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn.jpg.png","width":1360,"height":768,"caption":"Stephen A. Smith wanted Max Kellerman off First Take to be a solo act, former ESPN partner finally reveals"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/78087-stephen-a-smith-wanted-max-kellerman-off-first-take-to-be-a-solo-act-former-espn\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Entertainment","item":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/entertainment\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Stephen A. Smith wanted Max Kellerman off First Take to be a solo act and earn more money, former ESPN partner finally reveals why"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/","name":"Red94","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/#organization","name":"Red94","url":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Logo-Red94.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Logo-Red94.png","width":289,"height":90,"caption":"Red94"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/1392757aee97e2eaf6264cfe538812da","name":"Jessica Morrison","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/wp-content\/plugins\/generateperf\/images\/icons\/avatar.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/wp-content\/plugins\/generateperf\/images\/icons\/avatar.svg","caption":"Jessica Morrison"},"description":"Jessica Morrison is a seasoned entertainment writer with over a decade of experience covering television, film, and pop culture. After earning a degree in journalism from New York University, she worked as a freelance writer for various entertainment magazines before joining red94.net. Her expertise lies in analyzing television series, from groundbreaking dramas to light-hearted comedies, and she often provides in-depth reviews and industry insights. Outside of writing, Jessica is an avid film buff and enjoys discovering new indie movies at local festivals.","url":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/author\/jessica-morrison\/"}]}},"views":115,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21166"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21166\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21165"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}