After reigniting rivalry with the Fox rival, veteran analyst Stephen A. Smith is now creating a blast from the past. Apart from spilling beans over some nasty newsroom encounters, the old hand reveals his unpopular decision to part ways with his long-time millionaire colleague. But while fans speculate a rivalry between the two analysts, Stephen A. came clean on why ESPN decided to let go of his former on-screen partner.

Smith pioneered the Sports Debate Show format on television. He has raked in millions of dollars hosting First Take. It continues to be one of the highest-rated morning sports shows. The show’s success solely rests on Smith’s genius. With his inputs and insights as a journalist, the 55-year-old knows exactly when fans are starting to lose interest in his content.

But why did he fire his ESPN colleague?

Stephen A. Smith was lately a guest on The Joe Budden Podcast. He discussed the departure of his long-time First Take partner, Max Kellerman from ESPN. The host asked, “What do you say to the people, say they saw the tension between you and Max developing on-air before his departure from the show. Have you heard about that?” Smith took full responsibility for firing Kellerman, “I heard some of it… It’s totally my fault.”

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However, he pulled no punches to reveal his truth about the whole debacle. The veteran analyst claims the show’s growth had become stagnant when Max was part of it. And he did not enjoy working in such an environment. He continued, “The reason why it was my fault was because I didn’t like working with him. It’s just damn simple. I thought the show was stale. I thought that we had flatlined.”

Even though First Take’s numbers had not declined after the departure of Skip Bayless, it was not gaining any popularity from the addition of Max Kellerman, “It was just there.”

Smith pointed out that Kellerman’s lack of on-field experience made fans wonder, “Why should we listen to you?” Kellerman was interestingly making around $5 million per year during his time at ESPN.

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Smith’s win strategy amid a flurry of layoffs

Apart from Max Kellerman, ESPN fired former NFL player Keyshawn Johnson and around 20 other employees in June. But amid these extensive firings, Stephen A. Smith was making adjustments to his show based on what the fans wanted to watch: “I was trying to win.”

Stephen A., on SI Media Podcast, enlightened the audience saying, “We were the same. We weren’t fresh together. So as a result of that, I told the bosses how I felt. Wishing him nothing but the best, rooting for him, making sure everyone knows if he needed me, I wouldn’t hesitate to be there for him, but I’m not going to apologize to anybody for being committed to winning. And if I believe I’m part of a formula that’s not going to win any longer, I’m going to change that formula.”

After Max Kellerman departed from the show, First Take went a different route. It brought in a diverse panel for each episode which kept the content fresh and entertaining. The ratings of the show skyrocketed after it added expert analysts and entertaining personalities like JJ Redick, Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, and Shannon Sharpe. Stephen A. and ESPN let go of the employees who were not adding much to the show as compared to their peers.

The decision to part ways with Max Kellerman might have come with some backlash for Stephen A. Smith and First Take. But soon, new faces were introduced to the show, which served more entertaining content to the fans. In hindsight, letting go of Kellerman proved to be the right decision for Stephen A. Smith.

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