Molly Qerim (Photo By Instagram/@mollyqerim)
It turns out even one of ESPN’s most recognizable faces wasn’t earning anywhere close to what fans might expect. Molly Qerim’s salary has reportedly leaked online, raising eyebrows across the sports world.

The longtime First Take host suddenly left the network in September, surprising viewers when she announced that her run had ended.

“After much reflection, I’ve decided it’s time to close this incredible chapter and step away from First Take,” she wrote in her Instagram Story on September 16. It sounded pretty standard, but things might not have been smooth behind the scenes.

ESPN quickly confirmed her exit, calling her a “key driver” of First Take’s success. But fans and insiders think the real story runs deeper.

Qerim’s Pay Gap Too Big To Ignore

Molly Qerim (Photo By Instagram/@mollyqerim)
Sports media insider Ben Koo pointed out on X that Qerim’s abrupt exit during football season without a farewell episode was a major red flag.

“She’ll have to stay quiet to keep getting paid through the end of the year, but this certainly has a lot of smoke that the relationship went south,” he wrote.

Then came the money talk. Former ESPN analyst Marcellus Wiley claimed Qerim earned around $500,000 per year, a solid paycheck by most standards, but a shockingly small figure in Bristol’s pecking order. Wiley said she wanted parity with top female talent like Malika Andrews and Mina Kimes, who both make seven figures.

“Molly wanted to do other things at the network, including hosting her own show,” Wiley said. “They weren’t signing off on her, not only hosting another show, but doing other shows within the network.”

That frustration apparently reached a breaking point. Compared to Stephen A. Smith’s reported $20 million-a-year salary, Qerim’s pay felt insulting. “You could feel a certain type of way,” Wiley said bluntly.

Wiley also hinted that Qerim and Smith, her on-air partner for nearly a decade, “weren’t cool with each other.” Smith later said on his SiriusXM show that she resigned abruptly and that ESPN did not want to lose her.

For now, Qerim hasn’t revealed what’s next. However, her quiet departure and the eyebrow-raising salary leak suggest that her ESPN chapter ended with more tension than her farewell post let on.