ESPN executive reveals real reason Molly Qerim suddenly quit network

Molly Qerim left ESPN in abrupt fashion after failing to reach an agreement over a new contract, a network executive revealed this week.

Qerim, 41, shocked viewers of popular sports talk show First Take after suddenly ending her 19-year stint with ESPN last weekend, despite initial reports suggesting she would depart at the end of the year.

Amid those reports, she took to Instagram to confirm she was bowing out as First Take host after a decade in the hot-seat, before long-time colleague Stephen A. Smith revealed a day later that she had also left the entire company.

Following her stunning exit, ESPN President of Content Burke Magnus admitted Qerim had surprised them with the timing of her decision, but explained how they had recently failed to come to terms over a renewal. 

'Molly Qerim is a wonderful person and an unbelievable teammate and colleague,' Magnus said in an interview with The Athletic. 'There was a couple dimensions to this. One, is obviously we were in a renewal conversation. Two, is 10 years to do something like that is a long time. 

'I’m not going to speak for her, but I think there was a feeling that she wants to do other things, and successfully being on a top show like that for a decade qualifies as maybe I can turn the page and do something else.

'We tried to have her do other things and to redo that agreement. It honestly became less about that, and more about, in my opinion, her wanting to do other and explore other things. It ended up being easier for her to make a clean break entirely.'

Magnus also revealed that Qerim was already going to be stepping down as First Take host at the end of the year, meaning she was keen to embark on a new chapter.

'She was going to come off First Take either way and that was something [where] we had already crossed that bridge,' he added. 'So it was from our perspective much more about what else could she be doing, how could we make her more versatile, get her involved in different things? That’s what we were trying to do.

'I read a lot of stuff on X [on Tuesday]. There’s no controversy here. There’s no shoe that’s going to drop. She’s an awesome person. You know, it’s business. You try your best and we just weren’t totally aligned. I totally respect her interest, in rather than going into a less defined situation, to make a clean break and try to do other things outside of ESPN.'

ESPN must now turn its attention to Qerim's replacement, and Magnus says they will spend 30 to 45 days testing out a number of potential options before making a decision. 

Qerim first joined ESPN back in 2006, initially working on the network's digital and mobile platforms before becoming a College Football Live host two years later.

The American TV personality also worked as a breaking news reporter for Fantasy Football Now on ESPN2, receiving an Emmy for her contribution to the show in 2008.

Seven years later Qerim became the interim host of First Take when she replaced Cari Champion, who was promoted to ESPN's flagship SportsCenter show. Within a matter of months she then landed the gig on a full-time basis and never looked back.

Smith has been left devastated by her exit, describing it as an 'uncomfortable' situation earlier this week.

'To say that I’m quite sad about it is an understatement,' he said. 'Molly is a friend. Molly is a co-worker. Molly is somebody that I’ve leaned on on many occasions in the past, as she has done when it comes to me. We’ve been partners on the show for the last 10 years, and a lot of times some of these things happen, and it’s just uncomfortable to see.'

'The details, quite frankly, are none of y’all’ business. It’s not as if I know all the details. It was a contract negotiation that was going on. ESPN certainly did not want to lose her. But in the end, she made her decision to walk away from the show effective immediately.'