Stephen A. Smith finally opened up about Molly Qerim’s abrupt departure from ESPN’s “First Take.”
On Wednesday, Smith appeared on “The White House with Michael Irvin” — a Netflix show with Irvin and fellow ex-NFLer Brandon Marshall — and explained what truly happened when Qerim resigned in September.
Smith emphasized that the events had nothing to do with him. The decision came from higher up, even though he’s the show’s executive producer.
“Molly decided that she wanted to leave, and she had some issues that I’m not going to discuss,” Smith said. “It wasn’t with me, but she had some issues that was foremost on her mind and she made the decision to abruptly resign.”
“When (her departure) happened, it was incredibly unfortunate,” Smith added. “I can tell you that Molly and I worked together for 10 years — I loved Molly. I didn’t want her to leave.”
As Smith mentioned, Qerim hosted “First Take” for 10 years before her shocking exit. After hosting it as usual on Sept. 15, she was gone the next day, and Smith began Sept. 16’s edition by saying he “was not aware that this is something she was contemplating doing.”
While ESPN spent time auditioning potential replacements, ESPN president of content Burke Magnus told The Athletic “while we knew we were going to make a change — her deal ran through the end of the year — we were more focused on that timeline.”
Magnus’ comments alluded to the fact that the company had already decided to cut Qerim by the end of the year.
It’s unclear whether that directly led to her resignation in September, but Sports Business Journal reported that she turned down ESPN’s offer for a new contract.
Eventually, ESPN replaced Qerim with Shae Cornette, who’d been working at the company since 2019. On Wednesday, Smith clarified that he thinks she’s doing an “outstanding job” and that she’s “the real deal” but acknowledged that he misses Qerim.
Following her departure, Qerim posted a message on her Instagram story.
“After much reflection, I’ve decided it’s time to close this incredible chapter and step away from First Take,” Qerim wrote. “Hosting this show has been one of the greatest honors of my career. Every morning, I had the privilege of sharing the desk with some of the most brilliant, passionate, and entertaining voices in sports — and with all of you, the best fans in the world.”
Qerim has since began hosting Zuffa Boxing on Paramount+, leaving her ESPN career behind.
“You can complain until the cows come home, but somebody has to make the call,” Smith said. “And in the world of business, when you’re not the one with the power, you have to respect the fact that those in power have a right to make those decisions.”
