Chris Mad Dog Clarifies Confusion Around Perceived ‘Demotion’ That Led To Molly Qerim’s Exit From ESPN

Molly Qerim’s decision to depart from ESPN’s flagship morning show, First Take, has prompted a lot of people about her reasons for leaving. Chris Russo, also known as ‘Mad Dog’, appeared on SI Media and provided his analysis of the situation.

According to Russo’s account, the core issue centered on ESPN’s apparent intention to relocate Qerim away from First Take. The network reportedly wanted to move her toward a SportsCenter-focused role, a proposition that Qerim viewed with considerable hesitation.

“Yeah, very surprised very surprised. I don’t know (speaking about Molly’s departure), Stephen A called me the night before to tell me that Molly was gonna leave. I did not speak to Molly prior, I have had one conversation with her since. She was on air a long time. I think they probably wanted to move around a little bit and try a little something different, not that the ratings are bad,” Russo explained (0:09).

“I think they wanted to keep Molly with the network. And I don’t know if Molly wanted to do that because I think Molly probably looked at it as well I’m not gonna be the first take I don’t want to do Sports Center . So she probably felt that that would be a demotion,” he further elaborated (0:37)

Wow: Chris Mad Dog Russo explains why Molly Qerim left First Take revealing that ESPN intended to shift her to SportsCenter which she perceived as a demotion.

😬😬😬pic.twitter.com/N0mdeW11Jk

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) October 16, 2025

Russo also revealed that Stephen A. Smith reached out to him the night before Qerim’s departure became public. The host of First Take contacted Russo to give him advance notice of what was about to unfold. However, Russo himself had not spoken directly with Qerim beforehand about her plans or the circumstances leading to her decision.

Shae Cornette Named As The New Host Of First Take

ESPN didn’t leave the First Take hosting position vacant for long as the network announced that Shae Cornette would step in for Qerim. Cornette’s official start date on the program is scheduled for November 3, 2025.

Meanwhile, Qerim has chosen to remain largely quiet about her next chapter. Her Instagram presence continues to list her as the host of First Take, despite her official departure.

Russo continues his own media pursuits with his daily podcast, Mad Dog’s Daily Bite, broadcasts regularly on his SiriusXM channel, where he covers trending sports topics and industry happenings. He also maintains a super active presence across social media platforms whilst engaging with fans too.

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