Molly Qerim resigned as the host of ESPN First Take earlier this week in a move that seemed to catch everyone off guard, including fellow First Take star Stephen A. Smith.
Smith shared his reaction to Qerim’s resignation on his podcast and provided a few hints as far as what happened.
“Last night, she abruptly resigned as the host of the show. And to say that I’m quite sad about it is an understatement,” Stephen A. Smith said Tuesday. “Molly is a friend. Molly is a coworker. Molly is somebody that I have 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’s business. But it’s not as if I know all the details.”
Former ESPN coworker Emmanuel Acho discussed what Stephen A. Smith had to say on Speakeasy — a late-night sports talk show.
Acho, as well as Kieran Hickey-Semple, who is the host of the show, criticized Smith for his comments.
“The tone is crazy,” Hickey-Semple said. “Can we be honest here, bro? Her leaving, ‘Hey, like she’s resigning.’ Honestly cool. Let people wonder. Your tone, and then you saying, ‘You know, the details are none of y’all’s business. I don’t even know.’ What? You make it so much worse.”
Emmanuel Acho added that he was also not a fan of the way the situation was handled.
Acho believes Smith should have shown more respect to Qerim.
“Don’t tell us the details, then tell us you’re not going to tell us the details. … Like he said she abruptly resigned. That’s a detail. And then you’re going to say, ‘But don’t ask me the details, because I’m not going to tell y’all the details. That’s none of y’all’s business. Oh and I don’t know the details,’” Acho explained.
“Give her her flowers and let that be that.”
Acho went on to question why Smith would put Qerim’s business out there for everyone to know.
“I also wonder, from a human perspective, Molly was your sidekick for 10 years. We don’t need to know she abruptly resigned,” Acho said. “Protect her at all costs. That’s my big thing. … Don’t put her business out there and then say you’re not going to put her business out there.”