Molly Qerim posts rare Instagram update since ESPN exit

Molly Qerim is enjoying a getaway to Abu Dhabi following her September split from ESPN, as seen in an Instagram Story post on Thursday.

The former “First Take” host, who abruptly resigned amid contract negotiations, shared a snapshot of herself walking on a beach while looking out at the ocean.

Qerim, who was wearing a crotchet dress, tagged Visit Abu Dhabi and MELT Live, an invitation only event by Steve Harvey Global and OWS Capital.

It appears Qerim, 41, was there for the MELT Padel Tournament, which took place at Fahid Beach Club By Barbossa on Thursday.

Qerim — who hosted “First Take” alongside Stephen A. Smith for 10 years and worked at ESPN since 2005 —announced her departure from ESPN on her Instagram Story in September, adding the news “came out earlier than I intended.”

Qerim’s announcement came hours after Sports Business Journal reported that she turned down ESPN’s offer for a new contract and would depart the network at the end of 2025.

ESPN announced that Shae Cornette, who previously hosted “SportsCenter,” would succeed Qerim, after a few weeks of a tryout with a rotation of in-house hosts, including Amina Smith, MJ Acosta Ruiz and Courtney Cronin.

Last month, Cornette told The Post in a wide-ranging interview that she hadn’t spoken to Qerim.

“Molly and I have only met like a handful of times,” Cornette said. “When I was there we met a few times when I was doing radio. Always so kind and so sweet.

“That’s not to say I wouldn’t reach out to her. I would.”

Cornette, 39, applauded Qerim for making the job look “effortless” across a decade in the host seat.

“Listen, she was on that show for 10 years, and it is hard to talk about a lot of different topics with a lot of different personalities for ten years straight,” Cornette said. “And I know that that takes someone with not only a lot of stamina and knowledge, but also someone that has a lot of grace that I know that she’s had. And everyone I know that knows her has told me that she has.

In an interview with The Athletic last month, Burke Magnus, ESPN’s president of content, 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.”

He made it clear that ESPN wanted Qerim to stay at the company.