It should probably come as no surprise to anyone that ESPN has a problem with some of its hosts. If you listen to outlets like Deadspin (and for the love of God, why would you?), that problem is people like Pat McAfee, who lets Aaron Rodgers come on his show to make fun of Jimmy Kimmel (among many others).
Frankly, regardless of what Rodgers said about Kimmel and Jeffrey Epstein, Kimmel makes a fool of himself often and is fair game. Whether he is dressing up in blackface as Karl Malone, mocking Megan Fox for complaining about being sexualized by Michael Bay, or … well, just not being funny, Kimmel is a pretty easy target.
ESPN First Take co-host Molly Qerim is not an easy target. But that didn’t stop ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith and Dan Orlovsky from acting horribly around her.
Maybe they’re the problem, Deadspin.
Qerim Responds Hilariously When Smith Calls Her A “Supermodel”
Most recently, Qerim’s First Take co-host Stephen A. Smith had some … interesting words to say about her, right in front of her.
Huh? Qerim has worked her way up from her beginnings in broadcasting at CBS Sports Network, covering the SEC. She has also covered UFC for Fox Sports, NBC Sports Network (when it was known as Versus), and also at ESPN. Qerim has been an on-site reporter for such events as multiple Super Bowls, the NBA Draft, and the NBA and MLB All-Star games. She landed her current job as First Take co-host in 2015.
In other words, she’s earned her stripes. And while she is a beautiful woman, it seems more than a little dismissive of Smith to call her a “supermodel.” Especially after saying she started off as “just a host.”
But kudos for her reaction to his misogynistic statement. Mouthing the words, “What the f—?” was the perfect response. (There is no word yet whether Smith has apologized.)
Why Is Dan Orlovsky Sniffing Her Shoe?
And that wasn’t even the weirdest moment Qerim experienced on her show just this week alone. Earlier in the week, in a segment featuring Qerim, Smith, Shannon Sharpe, and Dan Orlovsky, the former NFL quarterback can be seen visibly sniffing Qerim’s shoe on air (we don’t know why she even gave it to him).
In this instance, Qerim didn’t mouth the words “WTF,” she just asked him straight up, “Are you really sniffing the shoe? Don’t be weird.”
Orlovsky, by the way, is married.
Next Moves For Qerim
We’re not sure if Qerim wants to stay at First Take, but if she ever decides to leave, we think we might know what her first move would be:
And when she wins that lawsuit, she can start on her book.
What Is Wrong With ESPN?
Qerim’s wild week notwithstanding, this is hardly the first time that ESPN has treated its female hosts badly. After the network fired Rachel Nichols in 2022 for making off-the-record racially insensitive comments about her colleague Maria Taylor, Nichols accused ESPN of basically spying on her, trying to find something bad she said to remove her.
Most recently, former ESPN anchor Sage Steele told women’s sports advocate Riley Gaines that the network tried to silence her from talking about trans women, like Lia Thomas, competing in women’s sports.