Molly Qerim’s former ESPN colleague reveals her salary before abrupt exit

Former NFL All-Pro defensive end Marcellus Wiley said his former ESPN colleague, Molly Qerim, abruptly left the Worldwide Leader because she wanted to make as much as other female talent, including Malika Andrews and Mina Kimes, as the host of the network’s No. 1 show. 

During a recent YouTube video entitled “Why Molly Qerim REALLY left ESPN [sic] Behind the scenes DRAMA EXPOSED, Wiley — who previously co-hosted the show “SportsNation” with Qerim — claimed she “had enough” after she was denied opportunities and a higher salary 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 said Qerim was making around $500,000 a year at ESPN, and that she felt “a certain type of way” that Smith — an executive producer on the show, who’s making $21 million on his new deal — didn’t go to bat for her.

“… Reportedly, she’s making around half a million dollars a year. 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,” Wiley said.

“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 added that Qerim and Smith “weren’t cool with each other.”

ESPN did not have any comment when reached by The Post.

Qerim announced her departure from ESPN on her Instagram Story last month, adding the news “came out earlier than I intended.”

Her post came hours after Sports Business Journal reported that she turned down ESPN’s offer for a new contract and will depart the company at the end of the year.

During his daily SiriusXM show, Smith explained that Qerim “abruptly resigned” amid contract negotiations with ESPN, adding the company did not want to lose her.

In an interview with The Athletic, Magnus explained that prior to Qerim announcing her departure from the Worldwide Leader, both sides had already determined that she would be taken off of “First Take” when her contract expired at the end of 2025.

Magnus shared they were in renewal conversations with Qerim, who he felt wanted to “explore other things” — and in the end, “We just weren’t totally aligned.”