At the start of the latest episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, the show’s host confirmed that a new podcast featuring Max Kellerman and Rich Paul is coming to The Ringer.
If that premise sounds surprising to you, you’re not alone, as even Simmons admitted to being surprised when Kellerman first pitched him on it.
According to The Ringer founder, he had been hoping to work with the former First Take co-host ever since he was first laid off by ESPN in 2023. And when he finally became available in recent months, Kellerman informed Simmons he was already in talks to host a show alongside Paul, who happens to be one of the most powerful agents in all of sports.
“He was like, ‘well, I’m a little bit down the road with this other idea,'” Simmons recalled. “And it was this show that he would have been thinking about with, as it turned out, it was Rich Paul. And it was, they’ve been friends for a while. They’ve always wanted to do something, like a back and forth — the kind of Ringer-type show that we would do. Like a conversation show, chemistry show.”
Simmons proceeded to meet with Kellerman and Paul, unsure of how the latter would receive him. But following their conversation, the ex-ESPN columnist was sold that such a podcast, which he says will focus on sports and culture, could be a hit.
“I didn’t really know Rich that well. And I think he didn’t think I liked him. I didn’t think he liked me. And that got hashed out in 10 minutes,” Simmons said. “And more importantly, just watching the way they interacted, I became convinced like, ‘oh, these guys, I get it. These guys should have a show.'”
While Simmons didn’t reveal the name of the show — which Front Office Sports’ Ryan Glasspiegel first broke the new of last week — he did share that it will be a video podcast running three times each week. Between Kellerman and Paul’s (and Simmons’) connections, one would imagine that they’ll be able to compile quite the guest list as it prepares to make its debut later this month.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.