*Stephen A. Smith is continuing to address questions surrounding Molly Qerim’s departure from ESPN months after her exit from “First Take.” Speaking during an appearance on Cam Newton’s “Funky Friday,” Smith denied speculation that he influenced the decision.
“I was not behind that. I had nothing to do with that. I love Molly,” Smith said, per Awful Announcing. “Molly is a really good friend. She’s always been good to me, and she was on the show with me for 10 years and, you know, we were number one.”
For a decade, Qerim remained a central figure on “First Take,” moderating discussions across several versions of the program alongside personalities such as Skip Bayless and Max Kellerman. Her departure unfolded unexpectedly in September 2025, after she appeared on the show one day, then disappeared from the broadcast the following morning.
Cam newton asking Stephen a smith about molly qerim leaving espn and does still talk to her today pic.twitter.com/0y3TPNSKo4
— joebuddenclips/fanpage (@Thechat101) May 1, 2026
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Smith had previously acknowledged he was surprised by the timing of the move. Months later, he shared additional details publicly, saying ESPN leadership had already planned to move in another direction before Qerim officially left the company. ESPN content president Burke Magnus later confirmed the network intended to make a hosting adjustment before the end of the year, with Shae Cornette eventually securing the position full-time.
During the interview with Newton, Smith suggested he noticed signs that Qerim may have been weighing her future at the network well before the split became official.
“There were times that, you know, I wondered whether she wanted to be there or not, cause she had a lot going on,” Smith said. “And it just got to a point where, you know, she was just at odds in terms of what she wanted to do compared to what they wanted to do…”
The ESPN personality also emphasized that his connection with Qerim extended far beyond television. Smith noted that their friendship strengthened during her final years at ESPN, particularly as she dealt with personal health struggles, including her publicly discussed battle with endometriosis.
“She’s confided in me a lot, trusted me with a lot of things, and our friendship only grew, and I miss her. I miss her a lot,” Smith said.
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