Latest news with #MollyQerim
Daily Mail
28-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Raging ESPN star takes aim at Stephen A Smith's massive $100m contract amid 'First Take' fury
Chris 'Mad Dog' Russo took aim at Stephen A. Smith's massive ESPN salary on Wednesday as a technical mishap interrupted 'First Take.' Russo and the show's host, Molly Qerim, were forced to do a segment from the hallway after she said they had lost power at the network's New York studios. And while Smith was appearing on the show remotely, he still couldn't avoid a lighthearted scolding from Russo over the situation - and his humongous $100million contract. 'If they didn't pay Stephen A. $400 million, maybe they could pay their freakin' bills, ESPN!' Russo yelled. '[ESPN chairman] Jimmy [Pitaro] and the fellas, I mean goodness gracious … How dare you squeeze me and stick me in a hallway,' he continued, as he raged over the makeshift setup in the hallway. 'You took me away from my site, all because you gotta pay him $150 million guaranteed!' The First Take studio lost power, so they filmed the show in the hallway. Chris Russo: "If they didn't pay Stephen A. $400 million, maybe they could pay their freakin' bills, ESPN!" — Front Office Sports (@FOS) May 28, 2025 Both Smith and Qerim appeared to find Russo's rant humorous, as the former put his head in his hands. While Smith has been with ESPN since 2003, his star has risen in recent years due to his starring role on 'First Take' and his involvement on 'NBA Countdown.' And in March, he signed a $100milllion contract extension with the network, according to The Athletic. Still, that didn't prevent 'First Take' - which he also executive produces - from experiencing technical issues, as Qerim and Russo were at one point seen using flashlights. Smith's influence has risen to such a level that he's been floated as a potential presidential nominee for the Democratic party in 2028. He told Barrett Media that he had 'no desire' to be a politician in April but acknowledged that he had softened his stance towards the possibility. 'Time to stop messing around,' he wrote on X. 'Life is great. Especially at ESPN/Disney. Hate the thought of being a politician. But sick of this mess. So I'm officially leaving all doors open.' Smith spoke exclusively to Daily Mail during the Super Bowl in New Orleans about his White House aspirations back in February. He said: 'I will confess, like I said, I have no desire to do this, but assuming that I'm well off, that I have lots of money, and money is no longer a concern, if the American people came to me and looked at me and said "Yo, man, we want you to run for office", and I had a legitimate shot to win the presidency of the United States, I'm not gonna lie. I'll think about that. 'But I gotta have my money. I'm not gonna go to the White House broke. I'm not gonna do that. I gotta have my money. 'I gotta have my home. I gotta have my financial situation completely taken care of. I have no concerns if that happens for me.'
Indianapolis Star
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
ESPN analyst on Pacers: 'Last night made me feel like they could be a world championship team'
This starting to become habit. The day after the Pacers flattened the Cavaliers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, ESPN's "First Take" gave Indiana credit where it's due. When host Molly Qerim asked Brian Windhorst how important Donovan Mitchell's injury and status for Game 5 will be, Windhorst was quick to not focus on what Cleveland has or doesn't have — but what the Pacers have done. 'First off, I just want to say, the Pacers were absolutely brilliant in this game," Windhorst said. "And the Pacers since Jan. 1 are 41-16, which is the kind of winning a 59-win team would have. And so you look at this series and you say, 'One team is way better than the other team.' Actually there isn't that much difference between them, and the Pacers are playing great. 'The Pacers dominated the Cavs both physically and mentally and the Cavs are going to have go back and look at how they approached this game,' he added. Stephen A. Smith said the Pacers earned his respect after winning Games 1 and 2 in Cleveland. He was equally impressed after Game 4. "They destroyed Cleveland yesterday," Smith said. "They took their heart. That's how bad it looked. We've seen people get beat down before, just a bad night. That's not how this looked. This looked a lot worse than that. We've seen teams lose by 40. We ain't see them losing by 40 at the end of the first half — the first half. That's what we saw.' While no one was really talking about the Pacers as a contender heading into the playoffs, a 3-1 lead over the top-seed Cavaliers is changing some minds. 'Last night made me feel like they could be a world championship team, for the first time, actually seeing it, I was like, 'OK,'" Jay Williams said. "But I think I'm more disappointed in Cleveland… Last night, that was embarrassing. That was embarrassing." Game 5 is 7 p.m., Tuesday in Cleveland. And for the record, Pacers in 5 was at +2500 at the start of the series. (All times ET; *-if necessary) Game 1, May 4: Pacers 121, Cavaliers 112 Game 2, May 6: Pacers 120, Cavaliers 119 Game 3, Fri., May 9: Cavaliers 126, Pacers 104 Game 4, Sun., May 11: Pacers 129, Cavaliers 109 Game 5, Tues., May 13: at Cavaliers, 7 p.m., Tuesday *-Game 6, Thurs., May 15: at Pacers, TBA *-Game 7, Sun., May 18: at Cavaliers, TBA
South China Morning Post
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Meet Molly Qerim, host of ESPN's First Take: known for her fashion sense and ‘soft side', she has used her platform to advocate for endometriosis and autism spectrum disorder awareness
Television presenter Molly Qerim, host of ESPN's First Take, turned 41 last month and celebrated with a beachy holiday. According to The US Sun, she was enjoying her time off somewhere in Portugal, based on the famed Portuguese restaurant she tagged in her Instagram Story, JNcQUOI Avenida. The raven-haired beauty stunned in a green cowl-neck top and a beige skirt against a scenic background, making fans swoon. Qerim has built a reputation among fans for her fashion sense, but she's also known for keeping it real with her commentary. Recently, while discussing the physical altercation between the Detroit Pistons and the Minnesota Timberwolves during an NBA game, she called her co-host Stephen A Smith 'hypocritical' for saying he doesn't mind a rivalry but that the brawl called for disciplinary action. Molly Qerim was previously married to ESPN's Jalen Rose. Photo: @mollyqerim/Instagram Advertisement Similarly, fans have also come to appreciate Qerim's soft side. A recent episode of NFL Live celebrating World Autism Awareness Day featured Dan Orlovsky and his son, Madden, who is on the autism spectrum, and showcased the latter's artwork. The former NFL star was left in tears, and when the clip was shared on Instagram, Qerim wrote him a sweet comment that read, 'Love this Dan!' What else do we know about Molly Qerim, who was married to ESPN's Jalen Rose for three years? Molly Qerim's background Molly Qerim hails from Cheshire, Connecticut. Photo: @mollyqerim/Instagram According to Heavy, Qerim was raised in Cheshire, Connecticut. She revealed on X (formerly Twitter) that her mother is Catholic and her father is Muslim. She also told UConn Magazine that she is Albanian on her father's side and, in an interview with Into The Gloss, revealed that she has Italian heritage on her mother's side. Qerim graduated from the University of Connecticut with a bachelor's in communications and a minor in business administration before getting her master's in broadcast journalism from Quinnipiac University, according to her website. She began her career with ESPN Molly Qerim won an Emmy for Fantasy Football Now. Photo: @mollyqerim/Instagram Qerim first joined ESPN in 2006, working for the network's digital and mobile departments, according to her website. During that time, her work on Fantasy Football Now earned her an Emmy. She left the network four years after joining, per The US Sun, but always knew she wanted to return, she told UConn Magazine. After working for CBS Sports Network and NFL Network, she returned to ESPN in 2015 as the host of First Take.
Fox News
20-02-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
ESPN host suggests 'hypocrisy' when it comes to fighting in hockey
ESPN anchor Molly Qerim alleged there was "hypocrisy" in the sport of hockey because fighting is allowed to a point where it is frowned upon and disciplined heavily in others. The "First Take" crew on Wednesday talked about the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off final between the U.S. and Canada. Radio legend Chris "Mad Dog" Russo teed off about the fighting that took place in their initial matchup – three brawls in nine seconds. Qerim got the last word in. "It's just interesting to me that certain sports, you're allowed to fight. And other sports, it could never happen," she said. "Optics! … Just a little hypocrisy." It is unclear exactly what Qerim meant. While fights take place in men's hockey quite often, they are policed. The men fighting receive five-minute major penalties, but the discipline rarely goes beyond that. Fighting is "not part" of the Professional Women's Hockey League, according to its rules. The players who choose to fight will be disciplined under the referee's discretion. Both combatants may be ejected from the game. Fighting has been seen in basketball over the course of time, but it exploded with the infamous "Malice at the Palace" incident between the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers in 2004. Fights in the NFL are often penalized with penalties and ejections as well. Brawls are often seen in baseball, specifically if a pitcher rockets a 100-mph pitch at a batter's head. However, if a fight does break out, ejections and suspensions usually follow. It is unclear if another fight will break out at the start of the U.S. and Canada matchup. The puck drops at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday night. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
