New York – The entire American sports world is shaken by what is considered “the biggest shock in ESPN history”, when Stephen A. Smith, the most powerful sports commentator in the United States, suddenly revealed the existence of a private video involving host Molly Qerim and an NBA star.
The incident went viral on social media just hours after Smith hinted during last night’s podcast that he “had evidence that could change the way people look at a famous female figure in the sports world”.
The fateful conversation in the live broadcast
In the podcast episode titled “Truth in Sports Media”, Stephen A. Smith was discussing transparency in the sports media when he suddenly changed the subject:
“I’ve been in this industry for 30 years. I’ve seen things that, if made public, many people would no longer be called icons. There are videos, there are relationships that the public has never known.”
When his co-host asked if he was talking about someone at ESPN, Smith simply replied:
“I’m just saying, there’s someone that people love – but the truth is not like what they see on TV.”
Just a few minutes later, social media began to explode when a series of users assumed Smith was referring to Molly Qerim, his longtime co-host on the show First Take – who was once the wife of NBA legend Jalen Rose.
Leaked Video: “Virtual Earthquake” Forced ESPN to Emergency Meeting
A few hours after the podcast was posted, an anonymous account on the X platform (Twitter) released a short video less than 30 seconds long, which is said to be the “evidence” that Stephen A. Smith mentioned. In the video, a woman who looks very similar to Molly Qerim is seen chatting intimately with an NBA star currently playing in the West.
Although there has been no official confirmation, the rapid spread forced ESPN to hold an emergency internal meeting overnight, with the participation of both the legal and media departments. An inside source revealed that “everyone in the company was in a panic, no one believed this would explode so quickly”.
Molly Qerim disappeared – Stephen A. Smith was silent
The next morning, Molly Qerim did not appear on the First Take program, making the audience even more skeptical. On social networks, her personal page was also temporarily disabled for comments, while Stephen A. Smith remained completely silent, neither denying nor explaining anything further.
That silence caused public opinion to boil. Some people thought that Smith had “intentionally created a scandal” to bring down Qerim, while others believed that he was being dragged into an incident that was out of control.
A former ESPN employee told The New York Post:
“Stephen and Molly used to have a very close working relationship. But since Jalen Rose left, things have not been as peaceful between them as they were before. Maybe something is happening behind the scenes that the public doesn’t know about.”
NBA community reacts: “No one is safe anymore”
Among the players, the incident has also caused a stir. Some NBA stars have spoken out, saying that “the media is overstepping the boundaries of human privacy.”
A former player who worked with ESPN said:
“If the video is real, it’s a huge blow. But if it’s edited – a woman’s career is being killed over a few seconds of ambiguity.”
Meanwhile, First Take’s fanpage was heavily attacked with tens of thousands of comments demanding ESPN conduct an internal investigation and provide transparency.
Molly Qerim’s Career Faces Collapse
According to Hollywood Insider, many advertising brands and partners are considering suspending their cooperation contracts with Molly Qerim, pending the results of ESPN’s verification.
A media expert said:
“In the American television industry, just being suspected of ethics or private life – even without clear evidence – is enough to destroy a person’s career.”
Currently, many major sports newspapers such as TMZ Sports and Page Six are searching for the origin of the video, but there is no official conclusion.
ESPN “standing in the center of the storm”
ESPN – the leading sports channel in the US – is facing a wave of fierce criticism. Public opinion believes that this network does not protect female employees enough, and at the same time allows internal conflicts to erupt into public scandals.
An inside source revealed:
“There are two factions at ESPN – one that supports Molly, and one that believes she has something to hide. The atmosphere in the headquarters is suffocating.”
