Jalen Rose, an ESPN presenter, announced his divorce from fellow network host Molly Qerim in December but has never publicly acknowledged the breakdown until recently.
Rose stated in a GQ interview published Wednesday that he and Qerim dissolved their three-year marriage amicably, despite unsubstantiated accusations that she was having an affair with Stephen A. Smith, her co-host on ESPN’s “First Take.”
“In my personal relationship, it was laughable to me, to see Molly Qerim and I mutually part ways, be in accord about why we’re parting ways, and still see people speculating on why. Not only speculating in particular saying it was because her and Stephen A. Smith had a relationship,” said Rose.
“I still see that, by the way. I might say something about someone’s team and I’ll see, ‘That’s why Molly left him!’ or ‘That’s why Stephen A. kickin’ it wit’ yo ex-wife!’ That’s not true. But, when it happened, it’s two ways for me to handle it as a professional: I work with him, I got love for him, and that’s my brother. I got love for her, we were friends before we were married, we just didn’t work as a couple. I just saw her today. We cool! But for me to see the speculation and for people to assume that was why, it bothered me.”
