
ESPN
First Take host Stephen A. Smith is embroiled in another public battle of words, this time with former National Football League wide receiver Terrell Owens.
During a recent interview on The Joe Budden Podcast, Smith detailed why he “didn’t like working” with former First Take co-host Max Kellerman.
Due to his comments, sports fans on Twitter began digging a little deeper to try and figure out what, exactly, made Smith loathe Kellerman so much, which led to this old clip of Owens saying that sometimes Kellerman seems “Blacker than Stephen A.”
THIS is why he doesn't fuck with Max Kellerman https://t.co/ZABGTABNTh pic.twitter.com/G5xmHHAEjb
— Jay (@JayBabyEars) September 15, 2023
From there, people began to point out just how often Kellerman would walk intellectual and moral circles around Smith.
Max Kellerman was killing Stephen A during the BLM protests. https://t.co/blguJ3nEIq
— Gifdsports (@gifdsports) September 16, 2023
Max Kellerman used to cook Stephen A all the time lmaooo pic.twitter.com/sOIRTayq5E https://t.co/A7lc5x26rM
— Sam Yeezy (@samstaydipped) September 16, 2023
Max Kellerman, a white man had Stephen A Smith, a black man, looking crazy on black social issues, literally had Stephen A Smith looking like a sell out for the kaepernick situation and demonizing weed
😭 HELL yeah he took that shit personally https://t.co/jBnQ92MREV
— Primetime 🇯🇲 (@Grantstyle3) September 16, 2023
Max Kellerman was spot on with Steven A Smith and Molly Qerim when all agreed with Max about Lebron James when James sided with the China Communist Party repressive government, over the Federalist Republic of the United States and the freedom of Hong Kong.
"‘INJUSTICE ANYWHERE… pic.twitter.com/CluvqTsQF3
— Just zipped a bong hit with my bear Ted (@stonedagainbros) September 15, 2023
Stephen A Smith was inviting these two (Will Cain and Ryan Hollins) on the show daily but, blames Max Kellerman for average ratings 😐 pic.twitter.com/nGfSWWIeUl
— Magic Bronson (@MagicsBurner) September 16, 2023
Apparently catching wind of the viral tweet, Owens himself chimed in to say “FACTS!!!”, which is what reignited the feud with Stephen A.
After the pair exchanged a few tweets at each other — which even prompted Kyrie Irving to pop in and try to play peacemaker a la Jonathan Majors — Smith would go on to address Owens on the Monday episode of his radio show.
According to Smith, he’s not mad at T.O., but rather, he feels “sad” for him, as it’s “rare in his lifetime that he’s seen a person make more enemies out of people who genuinely cared and tried to help him.”
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) September 19, 2023
Smith also says that Owens attempted to sue him and ESPN for publicizing an off-the-record conversation.
“He tried to sit up there and say I did something I’ve never done in my career, and that is take an off-the-record conversation and publicize it,” Smith said. “I have never done that in my career. On the soul of everything I love, I don’t do that.”
Needless to say, Smith’s seemingly one-sided beef with Kellerman in recent days has had the opposite of its intended effect as it has instead reminded everyone of all the ways Kellerman used to cook Smith.
Stephen A. Smith couldn’t dream of making a hit like Max Kellerman pic.twitter.com/30jr5MVDYC
— coop (@LocalLegendCoop) September 16, 2023