After Cari Champion said her final show as host of ESPN’s First Take was going to be June 19th, the show seemed to be in limbo. Both Stephen A Smith & Skip Bayless have been on vacation for a while and I’m sure the ratings have dipped with the awful backups they have been using. Enter Molly Qerim, who was announced as the new host, and just like Cari, she is professional and looks great on camera.
@IamJoeSports
Qerim rejoins the “Worldwide Leader” after separate stints at NFL Network and CBS Sports. Before that, she had worked at ESPN across various different platforms.
Sports Business Journal’s John Ourand originally reported in May that Qerim was in line to become a third on-air voice for Mike & Mike as the show eyed a move from Bristol, Connecticut, to New York City. On Wednesday, Ourand reported ESPN had a change of heart regarding the move, which then put Qerim’s proposed role on Mike & Mike in question.
Instead, she’ll be leading First Take for the foreseeable future and will also take over for Michelle Beadle on the July 1 and 2 editions of SportsNation.
She will start on First Take on July 13th and I’m sure their will be a ratings jump that day. Check the gallery to get to know Molly.
Why was Melody Collins not chosen for Carie’s replacement?
I wonder why the switch from Cari to Molly. Personally, I think Molly is a nice woman but she talks/interrupts too much between the debaters Skip and Stephen.