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ESPN makes major First Take broadcast changes before Molly Qerim and Stephen A. Smith live show in SportsCenter collab
Fans were divided over the move
ESPN has announced a three-day crossover event between First Take and SportsCenter.
The network is spreading its talent around this week in a bid to give fans more viewpoints.
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Stephen A. Smith and Molly Qerim will have some special guests today through Thursday.
Matt Barrie and Shae Cornette will join this morning's show.
Elle Duncan will be there tomorrow and Randy Scott, Gary Striewski, Nicole Briscoe, and Michael Eaves will all make appearances Thursday.
“I’m excited to welcome the tremendous talent from SportsCenter this week,” said Smith in a statement.
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“First Take is a melting pot of ideas and personalities, and we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to combine two of ESPN’s flagship brands together.”
“We’re all looking forward to not only bringing the fun we have on SportsCenter to a new audience,” added Randy Scott.
“We’re also excited to see for ourselves that Stephen A., Molly, and Mad Dog are, in fact, real people and not just brilliant sports media legends created in a lab somewhere.”
SportsCenter was once the jewel in ESPN's crown but First Take is now the show that sets the agenda in sports coverage.
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Fans were divided when responding to news of the collaboration.
"PLEASE...somebody make this a PERMANENT move," wrote one.
First Take descends into chaos as Dan Orlovsky and star filling in for Stephen A. Smith shout over each other in debate
"Remind me to sleep through this," added a contrary view.
First Take is set to air another special episode on the road Friday.
Smith and host Qerim will front the ESPN show live from Fanatics Fest NYC.
The stellar duo will be joined by Chris "Mad Dog" Russo and NFL analyst Ryan Clark on the set at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City.
First Take viewing figures
First Take went from strength to strength under the guidance of Stephen A. Smith and Molly Qerim last year.
The weekday ESPN debate show averaged 496,000 viewers in 2023 - making it the most-watched year in program history.
Its December average of 611,000 was a 24% year-on-year increase compared to 2022.
The show also reported more than 250 million views on YouTube.
First Take was helped by the addition of Shannon Sharpe alongside Smith and Qerim after he left Fox Sports' Undisputed.
First Take has revealed a couple of special guests who will come on the show.
Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero will make an appearance alongside comedian Drew Desbordes, better known as Druski.
The show heads on the road again after checking in from the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) conference in Chicago, Illinois, last week.
First Take will be one of several sports shows to record live from Fanatics Fest next week.
Others include Clark's The Pivot and NFL insider Adam Schefter's podcast.
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Several former and current athletes and A-listers will make cameos at multiple panels during the event, taking place between 16-18 August, too.
The stellar lineup includes Tom Brady, Michael Strahan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jalen Brunson, Jay Z, and Spike Lee, among others.