Max Kellerman opened up on Wednesday's “The Bill Simmons Podcast” about why his partnership with Stephen A. Smith on “First Take” ended. The former said that the latter wanted to be “perceived as a solo act,” hence their incompatibility. Kellerman added that Smith verbally sparring with “Muhammad Kellerman” was “just bad” and “embarrassing.”On Smith’s “Straight Shooter” show on Friday, he responded to Kellerman’s comments:“Max Kellerman was succeeding Skip Bayless. … There was an audience that was accustomed to Skip Bayless being diametrically different for a decade. … The audience had an expectation for that show. … That show came with an expectation that the audience was looking for us to live up to.”Stephen A. Smith said that when Kellerman first appeared, the Columbia University alum blasted former NFL superstar Tom Brady. The following day, Smith added that Kellerman apologized for his take, an approach that Skip Bayless, Smith’s former partner, rarely did.Smith continued that they had the top ratings when Max Kellerman replaced Skip Bayless. Smith said in “The Joe Budden Podcast” in 2023 that he “didn’t want to go from No. 1 to No. 2 when Skip left.”In the same Budden podcast, Stephen A. Smith admitted that he didn’t like working with Max Kellerman. He said that “First Take” had become “stale” and eventually “flatlined” when his new partner could not replicate Bayless’ style.Stephen A. Smith once named “two components” that audience allegedly tuned out Max KellermanWhen Stephen A. Smith appeared on “The Joe Budden Podcast” roughly two years ago, he did not hold back. When pressed about the reason he did not want to do a debate show with Max Kellerman, Smith responded:“(Kellerman) smart as a whip. Can talk his *** off. Can talk about anything. I get all that. But you weren’t an athlete, and you weren’t a journalist. And the absence of the two components left people wondering, ‘Why should we listen to you?’”However, Smith said on “Straight Shooter” that if it’s a non-debate show, he would gladly appear with Kellerman. Smith noted that Kellerman has an upcoming podcast with LeBron James’ close friend, Rich Paul. If Kellerman were to ask, the “First Take” host added that he would have “no problem” appearing as a guest.