News - Here Is What We Know About Molly Qerim's Abrupt Exit From ESPN's 'First Take'

Last month, ESPN host Molly Qerim abruptly announced her exit from the network and First Take. For the past decade, Qerim had moderated the debate show alongside Stephen A. Smith, outlasting several iterations of the program. Neither Qerim nor ESPN offered details about her departure. "To be blunt, it came as a shock," Smith said on his radio show. "I was not aware that this is something she was contemplating doing. But in the end, she made her decision, and we have to move on as a show. I don’t like it. I’m not happy about it." Despite his comments, it’s likely Smith knew more than he let on. As he frequently reminds viewers, Smith is also an executive producer for First Take. ESPN executive Burke Magnus, second in command at the network, told The Athletic that the plan was to remove Qerim from First Take when her contract expired at the end of 2025. Magnus added that ESPN hoped to move her to a different role. "We tried to have her do other things and to redo that agreement," Magnus said. "It honestly became less about that, and more about, in my opinion, her wanting to do other things and explore other things. And it just ended up, I think, being easier for her to make a clean break." Reading between the lines, ESPN likely informed Qerim she would be reassigned to a lower-profile role, prompting her to resign once the news leaked to the press. That’s also how Chris "Mad Dog" Russo sees it. Russo, who appears weekly on First Take, told Sports Illustrated that Qerim’s exit also "shocked" him. He "assumed" she was "embarrassed" over what she viewed as a demotion. "I think she precipitated it. … I think, probably, she felt embarrassed," Russo said. "I didn’t talk to her about the specifics of why she decided as soon as it was in the Sports Business Journal, but that’s what I’m thinking — that she probably would have felt embarrassed if the world would have thought that she was a lame duck and she was still doing the show. So, that probably had a little something to do with it." Russo added that Smith called him about Qerim’s decision "the night before" her exit. "I did not speak to Molly prior. I’ve had some conversations with her since. She was on air a long time. I think they probably wanted to move her around a little bit and try something different," Russo said. There are a few takeaways: 1. Qerim likely understood the history of accepting a lesser role at ESPN. The network has set a precedent of taking care of demoted talent for a year or two, then cutting them. She witnessed it firsthand when ESPN removed Max Kellerman from First Take at Smith’s request, shifted him to a morning radio show, and laid him off a year later. 2. There was not a natural landing spot for Qerim elsewhere at the network. While she has a background in covering the NFL, she wasn’t going to surpass Laura Rutledge, Mike Greenberg or Scott Van Pelt in ESPN’s lineup. SportsCenter was also an unlikely fit for her personality and on-air style. 3. Executive Dave Roberts has repeatedly shown good instincts overseeing First Take and other studio shows. In September, ESPN reported double-digit year-over-year growth across all six programs under his direction. First Take averaged 551,000 viewers for the month, up 23% from the previous year. Despite initial skepticism over the decision to remove Kellerman, the ratings say Roberts has undoubtedly strengthened the show by adding names like Russo, Cam Newton and Drew Brees into the rotation. ESPN will likely invest in upgrading the moderator role, as well. Shae Cornette, Amina Smith, MJ Acosta-Ruiz, and Peter Schrager have filled in since Qerim’s departure. Jane Slater would be a strong long-term choice. That said, if ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro pushes Ryan Clark into the role, consider this optimism revoked. And seriously, how is he still at the network?