Molly Qerim’s Stunning ESPN Exit: The Truth Behind the Breakdown With Stephen A. Smith and First Take

On the morning of September 16, 2025, ESPN’s most reliable constant shattered. Molly Qerim, the steady hand and moderator of First Take for a decade, announced she was leaving the network immediately after nearly two decades of service. No farewell tour. No countdown. Just gone.

For fans who tuned in Tuesday morning, the shock was visceral. Stephen A. Smith, the face of ESPN and her on-air partner for ten years, opened the show alone, choking back emotion while delivering a farewell that sounded heartfelt but raised more questions than answers.

The sports world hasn’t stopped buzzing since.

A Sudden Exit That Made No Sense

Up until September 15, Molly had been on First Take as usual. Calm, sharp, and professional, she managed the chaos of Smith’s fiery takes and guest analysts’ interruptions. Then, within 24 hours, it all collapsed.

At first, Sports Business Journal reported that Molly planned to leave at the end of 2025. That alone would have been significant, marking the end of one of ESPN’s most successful eras. But within hours, Molly herself posted on Instagram — confirming her resignation was effective immediately.

Her words were telling: “The news came out earlier than I intended.”

That line lit up every newsroom, podcast, and Twitter thread in sports media. It wasn’t just a goodbye. It was a hint — that something behind the scenes had forced her hand.

Stephen A.’s Cryptic Tribute

On air, Smith praised Molly’s “grace,” “expertise,” and “unparalleled kindness,” stressing that she had kept him and the show in line for a decade. But his tone, and especially his phrasing, suggested shock.

“She announced last night,” he emphasized.

Behind the microphone, later on his SiriusXM podcast, Smith let even more slip:

“Last night she abruptly resigned… and to say I’m quite sad about it is an understatement. Do I have an idea [of what happened]? Of course I do. Am I going to share it with you? No. That’s her story to tell.”

That half-admission was gasoline on the fire. If Stephen A. knows what went wrong — and refuses to reveal it — then something bigger than scheduling conflicts or routine contract disputes pushed Molly out.

ESPN Scrambling, Executives Admit

ESPN’s President of Content, Burke Magnus, confirmed that Molly’s immediate departure blindsided even top leadership.

“The one thing that was unexpected was the timing,” Magnus admitted. “She put out a statement because there was a report on it, so it kind of got out of our respective controls once that happened.”

In other words: ESPN wanted to slow-play her exit. Molly wasn’t willing to play along.

The Numbers Don’t Lie: Molly Made First Take Work

Since 2015, Molly was the glue that held First Take together.

10 years as moderator.

500,000+ daily viewers on average.

250 million YouTube views in 2023 alone.

ESPN’s most-watched studio show in 2023, topping even NFL pregame panels.

Her presence mattered. Smith may have been the star, but Molly was the balance — keeping debates from spiraling, redirecting chaos, fact-checking on the fly, and representing women in a space dominated by men.

That’s why her sudden exit doesn’t just feel like losing a co-host. It feels like ESPN letting go of one of the only people who could keep its most valuable show intact.

The Money Problem: A Salary Chasm

Sources close to ESPN say Molly’s contract negotiations had hit a wall.

Smith’s 2024 mega-extension reportedly pays him over $100 million across five years — north of $20 million annually.

Molly? Industry insiders say her salary hovered around $500,000.

That’s a 40-to-1 gap between the two pillars of ESPN’s most successful show.

It wasn’t just money, though. According to former ESPN personality Marcellus Wiley, who knew Molly during his time at the network:

“Molly wanted more than a raise. She wanted to host her own show, expand her career. That wasn’t happening. She asked, and the answer was basically no.”

That rejection, paired with the chasm in pay, is what reportedly pushed negotiations into chaos.

The Stephen A. Factor: Kingmaker or Gatekeeper?

Wiley went further. He suggested that Smith, whether intentionally or not, may have had enormous influence over whether Molly’s demands were met.

“When he signs off on you, you get what you want. When he doesn’t? You don’t get what you want.”

Smith, whose contract makes him ESPN’s most powerful on-air personality, has been known to have input on casting and production decisions.

Did he fail to back Molly in her push for more money and opportunity? That question looms large, especially after his carefully worded podcast statements.

Behind the Curtain: Tensions, Toxicity, and Gender Politics

Perhaps the most damning claims came from Wiley and other insiders: that Molly and Stephen A. weren’t nearly as close as they appeared on screen.

“They weren’t cool like that,” Wiley claimed. “Not enemies, but not tight either. Ten years together, and when she left, notice she didn’t even really thank him directly.”

That revelation reframes their legendary chemistry as something more professional than personal. And it adds context to Molly’s decision to walk out rather than ride out her contract.

The gender dynamics make the story even messier.

While analysts like Mina Kimes and Malika Andrews reportedly earn more than Molly, neither carries the daily load of moderating ESPN’s most-watched studio show. Molly’s frustration at being “number two on the number one show” but still underpaid compared to others, insiders say, was central to her exit.

Stephen A.’s “Know Your Place” Lecture

Days after Molly’s exit, Smith delivered a monologue on his show that many took as a thinly veiled jab at her:

“I’ve been watching people in this business fall by the wayside because we forget that all of us ultimately answer to the people. We don’t get to define our own value.”

He insisted it wasn’t about Molly. But the timing — and the content — spoke volumes.

Was it a warning to others not to overplay their leverage? Or simply Smith defending ESPN’s hierarchy? Either way, it added to the perception that this was more than a contract dispute. This was about respect.

What’s Next for Molly

If ESPN undervalued her, other networks aren’t making the same mistake.

Reports say Fox Sports has already floated an offer worth around $2 million per year — quadruple her ESPN salary — to bring her in as a studio host and potentially rival First Take.

If that deal comes through, Molly wouldn’t just be leaving ESPN. She’d be competing against it.

And that may be the ultimate twist: the very network that refused to give her a platform may have created its own most dangerous rival.

ESPN’s Dilemma

Meanwhile, ESPN faces the daunting task of replacing her. A 30–45 day audition process for new moderators is underway, but industry insiders doubt anyone can replicate Molly’s balance of poise and authority.

Will ESPN hire someone strong enough to challenge Stephen A. and keep the show dynamic? Or someone deferential, preserving his dominance but risking stale television?

The answer could determine whether First Take continues its reign — or stumbles in the wake of its biggest loss.