First Take host Molly Qerim made her long-awaited return to the ESPN morning show on Monday after a mysterious absence.
Qerim, who is tasked with maintaining Stephen A. Smith and company. online as moderator of the hit show, he was absent from the ESPN show for seven days, sparking concern among fans last week.
However, Qerim, who was replaced by Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo, Shae Cornette and Christine Williamson during her time away, returned to the air Monday morning as scheduled.
Neither Qerim nor his co-hosts addressed his absence when he returned to the airwaves.
Following fan concerns amid ESPN or his co-host’s inability to address his absence, it was revealed that Qerim’s hiatus from First Take was a pre-planned hiatus.
First Take host Molly Qerim made her long-awaited return to the ESPN morning show.
The 40-year-old wanted to take it easy before the college basketball and NBA seasons begin, according to The Sun.
Fans rejoiced at Qerim’s return on Monday morning with one social media user posting: “Great to see @MollyQerim back on #FirstTake.”
‘@MollyQerim is back!!!!! thank god,” added another.
In his absence, Qerim, who has been with the show since returning to ESPN in 2015, was credited with the way he navigated the show’s big personalities and kept segments from devolving into pure shouting matches on television. .
There was a lot of concern among fans of the show over Qerim’s absence.
“I’m a little worried about Molly Qerim,” one fan wrote. ‘She disappeared from First Take in the middle of last week and was supposed to appear in the special episode last Friday. I hope it’s okay.
Qerim has been the host of First Take since 2015, when she returned for her second season with ESPN.
ESPN’s First Take airs for two hours every weekday and is the introduction to Pat McAfee’s show.
There have been unfounded rumors that Qerim and Smith have been romantically involved, although both have denied these claims.
The topic came up on the show in April when Russo noticed on air that both Smith and Qerim were wearing white suits.
Fans rejoiced when Qerim, who has hosted the show since 2015, returned on Monday morning.
Qerim was absent from First Take for over a week due to a pre-planned break
“Who said ‘I do’ first between the two of you?” Russo joked while pointing at his colleagues.
Qerim quickly responded, sarcastically saying, “Who said “No?”
Smith and Qerim exchanged pleasantries before the former began to address the speculation.
‘No! No problem. Do you understand what I’m saying? Smith said. “The United States has been lying about that for a couple of years.”
Qerim was married to retired NBA player and former ESPN personality Jalen Rose for three years before separating. Their divorce became public in December 2021 when Rose announced their separation on her Instagram Story.
