ESPN’s flagship morning show is set to return with a vengeance.
First Take returns to ESPN on Monday after two weeks of schedule changes and schedule changes.
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Presenter Molly Qerim was back in the sports debate show’s anchor chair last Thursday.
The 40-year-old enjoyed a fortnight off during her summer holidays as a series of guest hosts took her place.
Molly has led First Take since 2015 and is never afraid to voice her sporting opinion during debates.
On her first day back at work, she jokingly walked off the set after a heated argument about Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys.
Fans are hopeful she will be joined by the usual First Take panel from Monday.
Top analysts Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe have been absent since July 2.
ESPN favorites Courtney Cronin, Udonis Haslem and Harry Douglas have starred in their place the past two weeks.
First Take was removed from the schedule when ESPN aired live coverage of the Wimbledon tennis championships.
Along with its sister show Get Up, the show was moved to ESPN 2 during the tournament.
Smith is currently negotiating a new contract with ESPN and could become the network’s highest earner.
The 56-year-old is eyeing a deal worth $25 million a year.
But he and the network are a bit far apart, with ESPN offering $18 million, per Disc News.
Stephen A. joined The OGs Podcast with Haslem and Mike Miller last week to discuss his future.
“I’ve been No. 1 for 12 years in the morning on First Take,” he said.
“In terms of viewership and revenue, I have been the number one talent for a decade.
First look at the numbers
First Take has grown from strength to strength under the guidance of Stephen A. Smith and Molly Qerim over the past year.
ESPN’s weekday debate show averaged 496,000 viewers in 2023 — making it the most-watched year in the show’s history.
Its December average of 611,000 represented a 24% annual increase compared to 2022.
The show has also recorded more than 250 million views on YouTube.
First Take was helped by the addition of Shannon Sharpe alongside Smith and Qerim after he left Fox Sports’ Undisputed.
“This isn’t about ESPN, this is about the cats coming at me… I’m talking about the cynics and the critics.
“No matter how hard I work, no matter how hard I work, along with the results I provide, if I don’t get paid, who will get paid?”
Stephen A. added that he has “a strong relationship” with Disney and ESPN despite the current negotiations.
Fellow NFL Hall of Famer Sharpe recently signed his own four-year extension with the network.
The former FS1 star has been credited with First Take’s “skyrocketing” ratings since joining the show last September.
The first broadcast airs every weekday at 10am ET on ESPN.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
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