ESPN First Take co-host Molly Qerim missed he seventh straight show on Thursday amid growing concern for her well-being.
‘I hope everything is ok with @MollyQerim,’ one fan wrote on X. ‘We haven’t seen her in a while.’
No reason has been provided for Qerim’s absence by ESPN or any of the other hosts. Network spokespeople did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
Filling in for Qerim, who routinely plays the moderator role on the show, has been Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo, Shae Cornette and Christine Williamson.
With interim moderators, some have credited Qerim with how she navigated the show’s big personalities and stopped segments from becoming pure shouting matches on television. Others have made their concerns over her absence and lack of recognition from others public.
ESPN First Take co-host Molly Qerim missed he seventh straight show on Thursday
Smith is the star of First Take, but it’s Qerim who serves as the all-important mediator
‘@MollyQerim Molly I hope your doing ok since we have not seen you on first take in a few days hope to see you back on first take soon or another show,’ one social-media user said.’
‘I’m kind worried about Molly Qerim. She was missing from FIrst Take in the middle of last week and was supposed to appear on the special episode last Friday. Hope she’s OK.’
‘I truly hope Molly Qerim is doing well wherever she is… but Christine Williamson did her thing hosting TSU and Shae Cornette has been doing a great job hosting First Take.’
‘We need @MollyQerim back bruh .. wtf is going on .. first take is chaos without her.’
Qerim has not posted to Instagram or X in the last two weeks, keeping a low profile when not on air with Stephen A. Smith and others.
She has been the host of First Take since 2015, when she returned for her second stint with ESPN.
ESPN’s First Take airs for two hours each weekday and is the lead-in for Pat McAfee’s show.
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