Max Kellerman Reportedly Being Removed from "First Take"
Let’s get it back to loud and obnoxious debate shows.
Some breaking news Wednesday evening, with Andrew Marchand at the New York Post reporting that Max Kellerman is getting booted from First Take:
It is Stephen A’s world and Max Kellerman soon won’t be part of it.
Kellerman is expected to be removed from ESPN’s “First Take,” the show in which he and Stephen A. Smith verbally battle each other for hot-take supremacy, sources confirmed.
This is not the end of Kellerman at ESPN, as he is likely headed for the network’s morning national radio show to be teamed with Keyshawn Johnson, according to sources. Under the scenario, Kellerman would replace Zubin Mehenti. It is unclear if Jay Williams will remain on the program as it is a bit onerous with his NBA role. If everything is signed, the changes are expected to go through next month.
Marchand credits Michael McCarthy at Front Office Sports for being first on the story.
It’s noted in the New York Post writeup that ESPN “does not plan” on replacing Kellerman with a specific host. Seems like they’re gonna rotate in a bunch of doofuses to do hot takes. Molly Qerim will continue as the host, but she’s just a facilitator for the conversation and is not necessarily part of the daily screaming and frothing.
The show is manufactured entertainment, with the occasional interesting opinion sprinkled in. Stephen A is the superstar, but Kellerman wasn’t bad. He did the job. He wasn’t Skip Bayless, but Stephen A and Skip Bayless are in a world of their own. Nobody can do bloviating bullshit as well as those two, who have secured hot take hegemony over all other actors. If they ever reunited Smith and Bayless, that show would do crazy ratings, but ESPN would have to pay both a bazillion dollars, which would perfectly encapsulate how screwed up the sports media landscape currently is.
By the way, Max Kellerman was a rapper back in the day, and honestly, this video clip is not the worst thing in the world. Better than Lil Uzi Vert or whatever the kids listen to these days:
Max Kellerman has always been that dude. He used to Rap in his old days. https://t.co/gT4oOycNy1
— Andrew Wiggins Facts club😈 (@andrewwiggie) August 27, 2020