ESPN has finally settled on a permanent hosting replacement for Molly Qerim on First Take, picking Shae Cornette for the role.
Cornette was one of several on-air personalities who filled in on an interim basis for Qerim, who suddenly left the show last month after 10 years. The Indiana University alum has also hosted SportsCenter and other television and radio programs for ESPN.
Hosting First Take will provide Cornette with a bigger platform on ESPN and the opportunity to increase her profile with fans.
“Shae is meticulous in her preparations, connects naturally with our show’s high-profile personalities, and has a unique ability to keep lively debate engaging and on point,” ESPN executive vice president David Roberts said in a statement to Front Office Sports. “Her professionalism, presence and energy make her an ideal fit for First Take and a great addition to one of ESPN’s most successful franchises.”
Cornette first joined ESPN in 2020 after a stint covering sports in the Chicago area, where she worked for ESPN 1000, Fox 32, and ABC 7. Prior to that, Cornette got her broadcasting start on the Big Ten Network.
Let’s take a deeper look at First Take‘s newest host and who she is on and off the camera.
Cornette isn’t the only broadcaster in her family
In 2019, Cornette, whose maiden name was Shae Peppler, married former Notre Dame basketball player Jordan Cornette. At the time, Jordan was an analyst for ESPN, and when Shae was hired in 2020, the two officially became colleagues.
That year, Jordan and Shae became the first husband and wife to host an ESPN radio show together. Eventually, they built a family together while working for the Worldwide Leader.
“Becoming parents together while navigating our careers has been a challenge,” Jordan told the Indianapolis Starin 2022.
Jordan left ESPN in August 2023, but he’s still a broadcaster, serving as a men’s college basketball analyst for NBC Sports.
She’s raised over $200,000 for cancer research
Cornette is the co-founder of “Fashion’s Fight Against Cancer,” a fundraising event that has contributed more than $200,000 to the fight against pediatric cancer.
It’s a cause that’s dear to Cornette’s heart. A few years after she helped start “Fashion’s Fight Against Cancer,” her younger sister Coley was diagnosed with Stage 4 Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma as a teenager, and though she was able to beat the disease, it left an indelible mark on her older sibling.
Her college experience played a major role in her career
Cornette told The Bolder Sister in 2016 that growing up in Chicago, she wasn’t a huge sports fan. However, that changed once she enrolled at Indiana University.
“I had intentions of becoming a marine biologist and then I took a public speaking class,” Cornette explained. “My first class at Indiana University where I was at college. I realized, ‘Well, this is easy for me. I don’t really have to prepare.’ You know, it’s easy for me to talk in front a group. It’s something that comes naturally. So I had a meeting with my counselor and she said, ‘Oh, you should maybe think about going into broadcast journalism.’ I said, ‘Okay’ and thought that was a really good idea.”
