"Muhammad Kellerman won this round 10-8": NFL fans rip Stephen A. Smith after he mocks Max Kellerman for calling out ESPN host over “no hot takes”

Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman have been in the news for taking shots at each other this week. Kellerman, who was reportedly removed from "First Take" after Smith's request, said that the veteran sportscaster has "no hot takes."

Following the jab from his former co-host, Smith lashed out at Kellerman for his comments on "The Bill Simmons Podcast."

“I ain’t gonna lie to ya’ll,” Smith said. “I had my researchers check and make sure that wasn’t AI. That that wasn’t some sh*t that somebody just made up. I had to double-check that sh*t. I really, really did. I couldn’t believe it. Did we show when he called himself Muhammad Kellerman, as in Muhammad Ali Kellerman? Muhammad Ali Kellerman."

NFL fans ripped Smith for his reaction to Kellerman's comments.

"Muhammad Kellerman won this round 10-8."

Triple H’s Thoughts 💭

@TripleHHHPaulL

Muhammad Kellerman won this round 10-8

"Do you ever have a ‘partial response’ to ANYTHING, Screamin’ A? (I am not even a Max Kellerman fan, but what he said I’ll agree with blindly.)"

Norman Chad

@NormanChad

Do you ever have a ‘partial response’ to ANYTHING, Screamin’ A? (I am not even a Max Kellerman fan, but what he said I’ll agree with blindly.)

"He cooked you every single day for 5 years and you couldn’t handle it."

Hardwood Junkies

@hardwoodjunkies

He cooked you every single day for 5 years and you couldn’t handle it

"You disrespected him doing media tours and talking BS on podcast about him and now you wanna act funny because he’s talking his truth? come on. He’s right… BTW!"

PREVIS DANIEL

@PrevisDaniel

You disrespected him doing media tours and talking BS on podcast about him and now you wanna act funny because he’s talking his truth? come on. He’s right… BTW!

"This 🤡 has the same response every time he gets cooked which is often lol 😂"

KUSHEiM

@Kusheim

This 🤡 has the same response every time he gets cooked which is often lol 😂

Max Kellerman broke his silence after Stephen A. Smith's jabs over the years

Max Kellerman replaced Skip Bayless on ESPN's First Take, joining co-analyst Stephen A. Smith and host Molly Qerim on the show in July 2016. His tenure with First Take ended in September 2021 after Smith cited a lack of chemistry on the show.

Kellerman returned to broadcasting for Netflix's presentation of the Canelo Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford fight card in September 2025. Smith had taken shots at his former co-host over the last few years and Kellerman returned the favor this week.

“I never had to worry about when the little red light came on that it wouldn’t be a show, but it would be like, you don’t want to be undermined,” Kellerman said.

“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.”