Molly Qerim – Inside the Life of Jalen Rose’s Ex-Wife and Her Struggles With Endometriosis

Molly Qerim is the ex-wife of Jalen Rose, the American sports analyst and former professional basketball player. She was born on March 31, 1984, and is an American television anchor and a moderator of ESPN’s First Take. Molly and Jalen got married in July 2018, after about two years of dating, and divorced in 2021. Meanwhile, Molly Qerim was diagnosed with endometriosis in 2011.

Molly Qerim was born as Molly Qerim Rose and raised in New Haven, Connecticut. She is half Italian and half Albanian. Even though she is of mixed ethnicity with a Mediterranean descent, she also holds American Nationality as she was born and raised in the USA

Molly Qerim is one of the few TV personalities with incredible sports anchoring skills. Her talent is further accentuated by her enviable body which leaves little to wonder about why she is listed among the 20 sexiest and most beautiful sports reporters of the year. Even Eminem, the legendary rapper is smitten by her great looks, remember when he name-dropped her on his Campaign Speech?

Thanks to her simple but energetic and magnetic on-air presence, the Emmy Award-winning sports anchor has hosted a lot of shows and events, including the annual World MMA Awards. But beyond her professional life, Molly Qerim’s personal life appears to be quite interesting, especially as regards her health challenges. Here is what we know about this gorgeous anchor for ESPN’s First Take.

Molly Qerim Bio and Profile Summary

Age/Date of Birth:	40 years old (March 31, 1984)
Height:	5 feet, 6 inches (1.68 m)
Ethnicity/Race:	Half Albanian and half Italian
Nationality:	American
Husband or Boyfriend:	Married her Husband Jalen Rose in 2018
Parents:	N/A
Net Worth:	$4 million

Molly Qerim’s Fact Card

Who is Molly Qerim?

Qerim is an American sports moderator and anchor for ESPN’s sports talk show, First Take. The half Albanian and half Italian was born on March 31, 1984, in New Haven, Connecticut. She was raised in a New Haven suburb of Cheshire, which is famed for churning out a good number of sports stars like Hockey Hall of Famer, Brian Leetch and Brad Ausmus former big league catcher and Detroit Tigers manager.

Molly attended the University of Connecticut and graduated with a degree in Communications with a minor in Business Administration. She also attended Quinnipiac University where she earned a Masters degree in broadcast journalism. Her professional career started at CBS Sports Network where she covered the NCAA Tournament, National Signing Day, and the US Open. Molly also hosted college sports shows like Full Court Press, MaxPreps Lemming Report, Bracket Breakdown, and SEC Tailgate Show.

At the early stage of her career, Molly worked for ESPN, covering the UFC. She was even named “a female pioneer in the UFC broadcast industry.” Qerim co-hosted College Football Live and Fantasy Football Now and her work on the latter earned her an Emmy Award. She also co-hosted ESPNU’s Campus Connection.

Molly interviewed various athletes for ESPN Mobile and ESPN.com and covered a substantial number of Super Bowls. She did on-site reporting of both the NBA All-Star Game and the MLB All-Star game. The NBA Draft and Heisman Trophy presentation were also covered by her.

When Qerim joined the National Football League (NFL) Network, she began hosting the NFL AM and NFL Fantasy Live. After her stint with the Network came to an end, she rejoined ESPN in 2015 as the host of First Take. She replaced Cari Champion who left to anchor the network’s flagship show, SportsCenter.

Molly’s name is often mentioned on many sexy sports reporters list. She ranked at No. 14 on Bleacher Report’s 2012 list of 20 sexiest sports reporters of the year.

Who Is Molly Qerim’s Ex-Husband, Jalen Rose?

Qerim was married to her ESPN colleague Jalen Rose. The two had low-key nuptials in July 2018, after about two years of dating. The wedding ceremony took place in New York City after which they took off to Turks and Caicos Island for their honeymoon.

Rose, born on January 30, 1973, is a former American professional basketball player who played for 6 NBA teams but is best known for his years with the Indiana Pacers. He retired in 2007.

Rumours of their relationship began to swirl online when Qerim started posting photos of her and Rose on her Instagram account. They were also spotted together at games. The pair confirmed their relationship later in 2016.

Though Jalen has never been previously married, he has three kids from his previous relationships. He has two daughters named Mariah and Gracie and a son named LaDarius.

In a 2017 interview with UPROXX, Qerim revealed how she’s balancing her relationship with Rose and her career. She also gave her reaction to Eminem’s name-dropping on his campaign speech, saying it sounded funny to her “… like a campaign speech.”

While Qerim waited for almost a year to react to Eminem’s shout out, her then-boyfriend Rose reacted almost immediately after the song dropped, saying he wasn’t that much upset about the whole thing as he is already aware of how beautiful and so much of a public figure his partner is.

News of Molly and Jalen’s marriage only reached the public a few days after their wedding and the couple confirmed it by posting a wedding picture with Molly in her simple body-hugging bridal gown. Even days before their wedding, the couple gave a slight hint about their plans to take their relationship to another level with a photo
of them together in the exotic locale.

Unfortunately, that was not to be, The NBA star turned ESPN basketball analyst Jalen Rose filed for divorce from his wife Molly Qerim. The couple had been married for three years. “After being separated for almost a year, Molly and I have officially decided to go our separate ways,” Rose wrote on his Instagram story.

How Molly Qerim Struggled With Endometriosis

While many prefer to keep their health challenges away from the public, the likes of Molly would rather discuss such issues just to educate and encourage people with similar health problems. Molly Qerim, co-host of ESPN’s First Take, was diagnosed with endometriosis in 2011 after she discovered she was having a painful uterine disorder.

Speaking about her health battle on a Good Morning America interview, Molly said she was 26 years old when she learned that the health condition whereby the lining of her uterus grows outside of the uterus had spread to various parts of her body, meaning she was already in Stage IV Endometriosis.

Cure of endometriosis has not been found yet, hence, only continued treatment is needed to manage the symptoms that include severe pain, fatigue, painful bowel movements or urination and excessive bleeding, among others. For the sports journalist, she receives constant injections in her backside just to relieve the pains.

Speaking on how she manages her health condition, the sports news reporter also revealed that she gets up to eight hours of sleep at night, limit sugar and alcohol intake, meditates, exercises and gets acupuncture at least once a week. However, she admits finding it difficult to ditch caffeine consumption. On why she chose to share her story, Molly says it is to educate women in her condition and to let them know that they are not alone.

Key Facts

How Old is Molly Qerim?

Molly Qerim is 40 years old. She was born on March 31, 1984, in New Haven, Connecticut, U.S., and celebrates her birthday on March 31st every year

What is Molly Qerim’s Net Worth?

Molly has an estimated net worth of 4 million US dollars.

Is Molly Qerim Married?

Molly Qerim was happily married to Jalen Rose, a former NBA basketball player, and fellow ESPN host. The marriage lasted for 3 years as they divorced in 2021