Evan Cohen talks ‘First Take’ future and hosting interest after Molly Qerim departure

The sports media world was met with some surprising news earlier this week when reports surfaced that First Take host Molly Qerim was set to depart ESPN at year’s end.

That news quickly became even more surprising the next day, when it became apparent that Qerim’s departure was effective immediately, and she’d no longer be hosting ESPN’s flagship morning show. We still don’t know exactly what happened that led to an expedited falling out. Qerim appeared on First Take on Monday and was gone by Tuesday.

But with Qerim’s abrupt exit solidified, attention has turned to who could possibly replace the 10-year veteran of First Take.

One possible replacement could be Evan Cohen, who currently hosts ESPN Radio’s UnSportsmanlike program from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. ET on weekdays. Cohen has filled in as First Take host a handful of times in the past, and in a recent interview with Brandon Contes on the Awful Announcing Podcast, expressed interest in at least continuing as a fill-in host as the network searches for Qerim’s replacement.

“I have interest in [ESPN executive] Dave Roberts and the entire content team doing what they think is best for content. And any path they have led me down thus far has been amazing for Unsportsmanlike,” Cohen said when asked about his interest level in continuing his work on First Take.

Cohen is clearly trying to make a good impression. Even though he’s never hosted the show for an episode in which Stephen A. Smith has participated, he always makes sure to thank the ESPN kingmaker for the opportunity whenever it presents itself.

“Every single time I’m on, I send a note to Stephen A. afterwards to thank him,” Cohen explained. “The two people I have seen in my life, no, three people that I’ve seen in my life that respond the quickest: Stephen A., Dan Patrick, Adam Schefter. You wonder why people get to the level that they get to, it’s because of the professionalism and the kindness that they have. Stephen A. opens doors for so many people, and he opened the door for me to fill in. And every time I reach out to thank him, he responds immediately saying something kind to me.”

There’s a clear admiration from Cohen towards the First Take star, but it doesn’t seem like he’s angling for any permanent role on the show. Rather, Cohen is happy to continue with UnSportsmanlike, and do spot work on First Take. Though, if the full-time opportunity presented itself, that’d be a hard offer to turn down.