Max Kellerman bid farewell to ESPN’s “First Take” on Wednesday, less than a month after co-host Stephen A. Smith drove him off the sports debate TV show.
“All things come to an end, and this is the end to my run on ‘First Take,'” Kellerman said at the end of Wednesday’s show.
Widely considered to be the face of the network, Smith pushed ESPN executives to remove Kellerman from the program because he didn’t believe they worked well together, The Post’s Andrew Marchand reported.
ESPN made the breakup official last month and said Kellerman would shift to other shows within the network.
Neither Smith nor Kellerman mentioned the reason for their separation during Kellerman’s final appearance as co-host.
Smith, who has been off the air recently as he recovers from sleep apnea surgery, called in to wish Kellerman well.
“I’m really sorry I couldn’t be there to tell you face-to-face to thank you for everything you did for the show,” Smith said. “You’re going to be doing big things like you’re always doing big things.”
The 48-year-old Kellerman, who is moving to mornings on ESPN Radio and will have his own afternoon TV show on the network, thanked Smith and alluded to Smith’s outsized influence on the show’s makeup.
“Stephen A. had a lot of say in who was going to be his partner after Skip [Bayless] left the show” in 2016, said Kellerman, who was born in The Bronx and began his career broadcasting boxing. “And I was honored to have been chosen and wouldn’t trade the last five years for anything.”
In March, the 53-year-old Smith pushed for ESPN to reunite him with Bayless before Bayless re-signed with Fox Sports on a four-year, $32 million deal.
Bayless is the co-host of FS1’s “Undisputed,” another daily morning sports debate show in the mold of “First Take.”
Smith, a former newspaperman whose $60 million contract makes him the highest-paid ESPN personality, will remain on “First Take” with a rotation of guests to debate.
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Stephen A. Smith's goodbye to Max Kellerman after driving him off ‘First Take’ - New York Post
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