ESPN viewers brand First Take ‘difficult to watch’ and ‘painful’ as stars Molly Qerim and Stephen A. Smith remain absent

FIRST Take fans are having a hard time staying tuned to the sports debate show as top stars continue to be absent.

The popular ESPN show returned to its regular two-hour time slot on Thursday, but was without host Molly Qerim and lead analyst Stephen A. Smith.

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Instead, SportsCenter host Brian Custer stepped in and took over hosting duties for Qerim.

Custer was joined by Kimberley A. Martin, Clinton Yates, and Harry Douglas, who replaced regular analysts Smith and Shannon Sharpe.

First Take viewers are unhappy with the changes and have shared their displeasure on social media.

“@FirstTake is so hard to watch,” said one fan.

“Kimberley Martin has no idea what she’s talking about, this panel is painful,” raged a second.

“What happened to #firsttake no sharpe no smith terrible,” wrote a third on X.

“First Take is horrible without Stephen A. Smith. Inaccessible to be honest,” said a fourth.

One fan didn’t mind the change, saying, “First of all, get it and it won’t be so bad when Stephen A isn’t there.”

“Everyone talks, you can hear and no one is just being outrageous,” the fan continued.

Smith has mostly been enjoying his summer vacation, but occasionally appears on the show.

Both Smith and Qerim returned last Friday for a special live taping of the National Association of Black Journalists conference in Chicago.

Smith caused controversy on social media when he revealed his list of the top five sports cities.

He listed Houston, Philadelphia, New York, Chicago and Boston five to one as his top five sports cities.

The 56-year-old left Los Angeles off his list and many fans were unhappy.

Meanwhile, several topics were discussed during First Take on Thursday.

ESPN columnist Yates believes Deshaun Watson and the Cleveland Browns have the most need to win the AFC North.

First Take also welcomed guests Paul Finebaum, a television radio personality who works for ESPN’s SEC Network, and Mina Kimes, a senior writer and NFL analyst at ESPN.

Finebaum discussed the four-year program cause order punishment given to the NCAA’s Jim Harbaugh.

Harbaugh was disciplined Wednesday for having unapproved contact with recruits and players during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He is now effectively banned from college athletics until August 2028.

Meanwhile, Kimes discussed the Buffalo Bills’ offense without Stefon Diggs and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott’s potential earnings if he hits free agency.