Former NFL player Marcellus Wiley just let the cat and bombshell out of the bag. According to Wiley, Molly Qerim didn’t leave First Take because she “wanted to explore new opportunities”. No. She exited over ESPN salary dispute with Stephen A. Smith.
This is an interesting revelation that’s likely to cause confusion.
In a recent YouTube video, Wiley claimed that Qerim “had enough” after being denied a higher salary and more opportunities at ESPN.
“Molly wanted to do other things at the network, which included 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.”
Wiley revealed that Qerim was allegedly making just $500,000 per year at ESPN.
That is a massive difference from the $20 million per year salary that her costar, Stephen A. Smith, was making.
“Reportedly, she’s making around half a million dollars a year,” Wiley said.
“Now contrast that to $20 million a year for Stephen A. Smith, and he’s number one on the show, and you’re number two on the show, you could feel a certain type of way.
“But hey, you got to only eat what you kill, and they didn’t feel like she was killing it to the point where they would make her a better offer.
“And when I say we, I’m not just talking about Burke Magnus, [ESPN’s president of content], I’m not just talking about all of the other bosses…
“I’m talking about Smith as well, because remember, he’s an executive producer on that show and as he will always remind you that’s his show.”
Wiley also added that Qerim and Smith “weren’t cool with each other” on First Take.
So yes, Molly bounced. Because if you’re going to sit at the desk with someone paid more than you then they better do more than you do.
Flip the pages for Molly’s hot shots.
