Molly Qerim shocked the sports media world when she abruptly resigned as host of ESPN’s First Take on September 15. Sports Business Journal had reported earlier that day that Qerim was set to leave ESPN after her contract expired at the end of 2025, and she seemingly responded by cutting ties right away.
ESPN President of Content Burke Magnus spoke about the decision with The Athletic, and he admitted the timing caught them off guard. Qerim putting out the statement and resigning accelerated the timeline and put the situation out of their control.
Magnus’ comments came to the attention of former ESPN analyst Marcellus Wiley. Wiley reacted to them on his podcast and claimed to know the real reasons why Qerim, who had hosted First Take since 2015, chose to leave.
“Let’s go behind the scenes,” Wiley said. “Because Burke Magnus just told us that, hey, it got out of our hands because Molly confirmed that report, but put some immediacy on it that we weren’t expecting. We both were kind of on the same page of let’s just ride this out to the end of the year, after your contract’s over, and then peace.”
Wiley, who played in the NFL for 10 seasons, found those comments to be quite interesting.
“So, let’s just reframe everything first,” Wiley stated. “Reset. Molly went to work on Monday, right? Finished her job on Monday, left without ceremony, went home, and then a report comes out. That report comes out, the next morning, instead of Molly showing up to work, she puts out an Instagram post.”
Wiley pointed out that Qerim, who first started working at ESPN in 2006, did not mention Stephen A. Smith in her message, which is a sign that all wasn’t well. He also found it noteworthy that Magnus and Smith had spoken about her after the departure.
Wiley, who was at ESPN from 2007 to 2018, stated that they usually wouldn’t speak about talent that’s left the company. He brought up how Smith didn’t even show up for Max Kellerman’s last day on First Take.
“This is what’s going on behind the scenes on the real,” Wiley added. “Molly was going through a contract negotiation, obviously, and that was not going well, obviously, because Molly wasn’t getting what she wanted. What did Molly want?
“Molly wanted to do other things at the network, which included hosting her own show,” Wiley continued. “… They weren’t signing off on her not only hosting another show, but doing other shows within the network.”
Wiley stated that Qerim was reportedly making $500,000 a year while Smith was at $20 million. She wanted more money as the second most important person on First Take, but her higher-ups, including Smith, disagreed.
“They didn’t feel that she was killing it to the point where they would make her a better offer,” Wiley said. “And when I say we, I’m not just talking about Burke Magnus. I’m not just talking about all the other bosses that Stephen A. Smith mentions. I’m talking about Stephen A. Smith as well. Because remember, he’s an executive producer on that show. And as he will always remind you, that’s his show.”
Wiley then suggested that while it was often mentioned that Smith and Qerim had a good relationship, they actually didn’t get along.
“One of the worst-kept secrets in the business is that they have a good relationship,” Wiley stated. “They don’t, right? They kind of tired on each other, etc. Not going to go into all the messy details, but the point is they weren’t cool with each other to the point, someone you work with for 10 years. You don’t even mention them when you’re gone.”
Wiley believes that Smith could have helped Qerim get the kind of deal she wanted, but decided not to. He claims that if the 57-year-old signs off on someone, ESPN pays them, but if he doesn’t do it, then they won’t.
Wiley also thinks Qerim took issue with Mina Kimes and Malika Andrews getting much better deals than her from ESPN, despite her being on the biggest show on the network.
“You’re working at a network where Mina Kimes is making way more money than you,” Wiley added. “And Mina Kimes is the number what on what show? You’re number two on the number one show, and she is what on what shows? … You see Malika Andrews all that. That’s a different lane, that’s a whole different animal.”
Kimes reportedly makes over $1.7 million a year, while Andrews just signed a new two-year deal with ESPN. It’s unclear how much she will be making.
We’ll only find out the exact truth here when Qerim chooses to speak about it. She is likely to return to television at some point, and it will be interesting to see if she spills the beans.
