Stephen A Smith and Molly Qerim on First Take.Stephen A Smith and Molly Qerim (Photos via ESPN)
Stephen A Smith has attracted the ire of fans after making an ill-advised joke about ‘First Take’ co-host Molly Qerim on Tuesday’s show.

Smith and Qerim were discussing Luka Doncic’s ineffectiveness in the NBA Finals with Andraya Carter and Brian Windhorst when Smith decided to try food shaming his co-host, making fun of her eating during commercial breaks.

“It’s almost the equivalent of asking [Andraya Carter] not to kiss snakes. It’s almost the equivalent of asking [Molly Qerim] not to eat during commercial breaks,” he said. “You can ask Molly to do a lot of different things. Asking her to fast and not eat? That’s going to be a problem for her.” 

Qerim immediately let Smith know that she’s grown and could do whatever she wants whenever she’s not in front of the camera.

“Grown woman. Proud of it,” she shot back. “Not a little girl.”

If you were wondering what Stephen A Smith meant by “kissing snakes,” it’s likely in reference to Andraya owning a pet python.

As you can imagine, fans thought the quip was in poor taste.

 

Stephen A. Smith Is Making A Habit Of Making Molly Qerim Uncomfortable

Molly Qerim has endured plenty of awkward moments on set with Stephen A Smith, especially lately.

Even Shannon Sharpe has seemingly joined in. The Pro Football Hall of Famer recently tried calling Molly out for not working out.

Fans are beginning to feel like this is too much from Smith and can’t help but wonder whether Molly is bothered by all of this.

 

VIDEO: Molly Qerim’s Provocative Skin-Tight Outfit Had Shannon Sharpe Ready To Risk It All On ‘First Take’

Photos of Shannon Sharpe and Molly Qerim from 'First Take'Shannon Sharpe and Molly Qerim (Photos via ESPN/YouTube)
Molly Qerim’s outfit had ‘First Take’ colleague Shannon Sharpe stuttering and ready to risk it all during a recent episode.

Molly, Shannon, and Stephen A. Smith usually joke about their outfits with each other to start the show. Most of the time, Smith is the one on the receiving end, with Sharpe taking a crack from time to time.

However, in this particular episode, Qerim was the one catching the attention. The ESPN show host wore a red, skintight dress that had her coworkers comparing her to Captain Marvel and Elasticgirl, all while biting their tongues.

Sharpe also wondered whether she got dressed up for a man, asking her what was really going on.

Check it out below:

The fact that he had to hold back wasn’t lost on viewers.

“Shannon was one gear away from being shifted out of a job,” one wrote in the comments.

“When you can’t keep yourself from complimenting but you also know HR watching,” another wrote.

“Shannon thought he was Hosting Club Shay Shay then had to reel it back,” one person added.

“Lmfao they both ready to risk it all at any moment,” another joked.

A flushed Molly Qerim said she would just take it as a way of them saying they liked her outfit.

‘First Take’ Has Been Hitting Record Numbers Since Shannon Sharpe Arrived

‘First Take’ has been doing some numbers since bringing Sharpe in last year. His former show, ‘Undisputed,’ has cratered since his departure.

“First Take reached another major viewership milestone in 2023. Featured commentator and executive producer Stephen A. Smith and host Molly Qerim marked the show’s most-watched year ever, averaging 496,000 viewers,” The Worldwide Leader in Sports announced in December.

“In Dec., the show’s impressive streak of year-over-year viewership growth reached 17 consecutive months. First Take averaged 611,000 viewers in Dec., the show’s second most-watched month on record, up 24 percent year over year.”

Meanwhile, Sharpe recently landed himself a multi-year deal with the network, while his personal shows, ‘Club Shay Shay’ and ‘Nightcap’ are also two of the most-watched online.