Stephen A. Threatened To Quit If ESPN Didn't Demote Max Kellerman

Stephen A. Smith is still bragging that he forced ESPN to demote and eventually fire Max Kellerman, two years later.

Smith appeared on The Joe Budden Podcast Thursday and detailed the moments that led to the network removing Kellerman from First Take:

"I walked upstairs and said, 'If is so important to you, then give him First Take. I will leave. Two hours later, I got the call he was being removed.'"

You can watch the full conversation below:

Smith confirms that he threatened to quit the show, as OutKick reported in 2021, which he denied at the time. Our sources, on-air talents who heard directly from Stephen A, were correct.

Stephen A's comments about Kellerman also validate that he is, in fact, a hypocrite.

Without a hint of irony, Smith joked about torpedoing Kellerman's career after spending two weeks complaining that Skip Bayless supposedly had Shannon Sharpe removed from Undisputed.

"I know a lot of people but that doesn't mean what happened to is fair. Plain and simple. That ain't the end of the world but it is what it is. To me, it was just important for us in this industry to stand up and say yo, he's one of us, you can't let him go out like this. And that was it for me," Smith said about Sharpe joining First Take.

"I have been let go. I didn't want Shannon to feel that way."

Got it. He just wanted Max to feel that way.

OutKick asked Stephen A. about his hypocrisy two weeks ago. He has yet to respond.

Still, we hope he changes his mind and responds. He recently said it rubs him the wrong way that ESPN laid off "black men" like Keyshawn Johnson and Michael Irvin. So, we are left wondering if he believes networks should only lay off white men.

Why else would he sympathize with Sharpe, Johnson, and Irvin for losing their jobs, but have no such commiseration for Kellerman?

To be clear, we are not criticizing Smith for wanting Kellerman off the show. Or ESPN executives for removing Kellerman.

The ratings for First Take have increased since his departure. The show recently posted 13 consecutive months of year-over-year growth.

However, Stephen A's way of handling the subject is off-putting.

Kellerman hasn't appeared on the program for three straight football seasons. Stephen A. won. He got his way. Max is now unemployed. Smith makes $12 million a year.

Yet Smith still uses his platforms to dance on Kellerman's grave and punch down at him.

During the episode with Budden, Smith later chuckled that focus groups determined that Kellerman lacked "cachet."

Stephen A. said because Max is "neither a former athlete nor a journalist" that no one cares what he has to say about sports.

Was saying that necessary? What point does saying that publicly serve other than hurt Kellerman's chances of finding a new job?

Stephen A's comments read like a warning to potential employers: Don't sign Max. He is a nobody.

For someone who says his issues with Kellerman "aren't personal, but business," his issues with Kellerman sure seem personal.

Stephen A. Smith is the biggest draw in sports media. Max Kellerman is a whiny, limousine liberal.

But Smith is a hypocrite. And Kellerman does not deserve to be disparaged like that, particularly when he lacks a platform, because of Stephen A., to defend himself.

DAN LE BATARD COMPLAINS ABOUT HOW OUTKICK COVERS WOMEN, MINA KIMES