Stephen A. Smith fueled speculation about Molly Qerim’s surprise exit from ESPN. His way of addressing the issue did not go unnoticed. Emmanuel Acho, Kieran Hickey-Semple, and LeSean McCoy called him out and joked about it on the “Speakeasy” podcast.
The popular “First Take” host recently resigned from ESPN, shocking fans and viewers. Even Smith was surprised, but he handled the situation in a strange way.
A valid criticism of Smith
According to the New York Post, Hickey-Semple reacted on the podcast after playing Smith’s comments on Qerim’s departure.
“The tone is crazy! Can we be honest here, brother? She left, like, ‘Hey, I’m resigning.’ Honestly, that’s fine. Let people wonder… But your tone, and then you say: ‘You know, the details are none of your business. I don’t even know them.’ What? You’re making it much worse.”
Acho added: “Here’s my thing. Don’t tell us details, then tell us you’re not going to give us details… He said she resigned abruptly. That’s a detail. And then he says, ‘But don’t ask me for details, I won’t tell you everything, that’s none of your business. Oh, and I don’t even know the details.’” It was a direct mockery of Smith.
The fellas had harsh words for how Stephen A. Smith handled Molly Qerims departure from First Take! pic.twitter.com/HDHdRzKoDC
— Speakeasy (@speakeasytlkshw) September 17, 2025
In fact, Smith made it sound like there’s much more to the story. Qerim confirmed her exit on Instagram, writing: “Now that the news came out earlier than I intended, and not the way I expected.”
Smith’s emotional farewell
Afterward, Smith hosted “First Take” in Qerim’s place and gave an emotional farewell. On his YouTube show, he clarified: “It’s not like I knew all the details. There were contract negotiations in progress. ESPN certainly didn’t want to lose her. But in the end, she made the decision to step away from the show immediately.”
He added: “I don’t like it. I’m not happy about it because I appreciate her, what she has meant to me, to the show, and to the business. I’m going to miss her. It’s that simple. But we all make decisions we think are best for us for whatever reason. And that story is hers to tell. Do I have an idea? Of course. Am I going to share it? No. Because, again, that’s her story to tell.”
