Molly Qerim Announces Departure From ESPN's "First Take"

After 10 years as the host of First Take, Molly Qerim has called it quits. Monday night, she announced on her Instagram Stories that she’d be leaving the show and was grateful for all the experiences the job had granted her. “After much reflection, I’ve decided it’s time to close this incredible chapter and step away from First Take,” Qerim wrote in a post on her Instagram Story. “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.”   Sports Business Journal broke the news that her contract negotiation with ESPN was unsuccessful, leading to her adding that “the news came out earlier than I intended, and not in the way I hoped.”

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In her message, she also told fans to “stay tuned,” so while she may be plotting her next move, there may be more to her leaving ESPN. Stephen A. Smith played host on Tuesday’s episode, and after a heartfelt message to open the program, he opened up a bit more about her departure on the Stephen A. Smith Show. Now, instead of leaving at the close of 2025, she’s already left. “Last night she abruptly resigned as the host of the show,” the clip begins. “Molly is a friend, Molly is a coworker. Someone I have leaned on on many occasions in the past, as she has done to me.” He added: “The details are none of y’all’s business, and it’s not as if I know all the details,” he said. “In the end, she made the decision to walk away from the show, effective immediately.” Smith alluded to there being more to the story, too. “That story is for her to tell. Do I have an idea? Of course I do. Am I gonna share it with you? No,” he adds. Qerim got her start at ESPN back in 2006 before officially joining the First Take crew in 2016, where she was known for her banter with Smith and playing referee during many of the show’s heated debates. Social media is wondering if there’s more to her abrupt departure and celebrating her decade-long run. See reactions below.

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