Retired NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens did not mince his words while criticizing Stephen A. Smith after his ex-commentator, Max Kellerman, opened up about his departure from ESPN.

On “The Bills Simmons Podcast,” Kellerman, who left “First Take” in 2021, talked about his experience as a part of the “First Take” show alongside Stephen A. Smith. He highlighted the competitiveness between them and how he would overshadow Smith’s presence on the show.

“If you’re doing a debate show and you’re a competitive person, why would you want me as a partner?”Kellerman said. “That’s bad. You want to go 15 rounds everyday with Mohammed Kellerman? It’s embarrassing.

“That’s what I could tell you from my point of view. And I also think that if you make a calculation, that if you can be perceived as a solo act really, that you can get paid at a certain level that you can’t if you’re not a solo act, then you’d like to be a solo act.”

Max Kellerman basically said that he saw himself as a better debater than Stephen A. Smith, which became a factor in his departure from ESPN. Terrell Owens backed up this claim while calling out the “First Take” host.

“He knows he can’t hold a candle to Max!!!” Owens tweeted.

Back in 2021, Stephen A. Smith said that Kellerman was removed from the show because their partnership had faltered. He also highlighted how it was the network’s decision, despite him having a role in his removal.

“The rumor’s accurate in terms of me wanting him off the show,” Smith said on “The Hot 97 Radio Show.” “It was not a great partnership anymore and that was something that needed to change.

“It wasn’t really about asking him to be off the show, it was about the fact that I knew that we, together, as far as I was concerned, was not a great partnership anymore and that was something that needed to change.”

In June 2025, Kellerman made his first broadcasting appearance on Netflix during the Sept. 13 MMA fight between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford.

Stephen A. Smith shares his honest thoughts on Dan Campbell and the Lions ahead of their Week 14 game against the Cowboys

On Thursday, on “First Take,” Stephen A. Smith shared his perspective on the Lions’ 2025 season ahead of their game against the Dallas Cowboys.

He questioned whether Dan Campbell and his team missed their opportunity to become Super Bowl contenders.

“What is going on with the Lions,” Smith said. “You’re getting the impression you’ve missed your window of opportunity. … You’re looking at the Detroit Lions and you’re saying to yourself ‘this is your opportunity’ you’re on the outside looking in.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen. You weren’t supposed to be on the outside looking in with seven teams ahead of you record-wise. We didn’t expect that. … This could be it for them.”

The Lions are currently placed third in the NFC North behind the Packers and the Bears. They entered Thursday’s game with a 7-5 record following last week’s loss to the Packers.