Stephen A. Smith Dating Molly Qerim? ESPN Stars Address Romance Rumors

Stephen A. Smith and Molly Qerim are not dating.

The ESPN “First Take” co-stars shot down speculation to the contrary on Wednesday’s episode, with Smith clarifying “there’s nothing going on” after Chris “Mad Dog” Russo made a joke alluding to the longstanding relationship rumors.

“America’s been lying about that for a couple of years now,” Smith said.

“You know what’s the funniest part — is people actually believe it,” Qerim added. “It’s ridiculous.”

The internet is a wild place. People debated on social media whether Smith and Qerim were romantically involved ever since the latter divorced her ex-husband, former NBA player Jalen Rose, in 2021.

This should, in theory, put that chatter to rest. And both Smith, 56, and Qerim, 40, handled the situation like champs, making light of Russo poking fun at them Wednesday for both wearing white on the same day.

“Here’s the upside to all of that: They know my taste. So, therefore, they know that it’s a compliment to her,” Smith said of the dating rumors. “And obviously, she has great taste, as well, so I guess that’s America’s way of saying we both really, really look good.”

To be clear, there wasn’t any actual evidence (to our knowledge) of Smith and Qerim being an item. They simply work really well together, which is a testament to their on-air talent, more than anything else.