It hasn’t taken Shae Cornette very long to realize what works on First Take, where the Dallas Cowboys are always relevant.
It’s been six months since Molly Qerim abruptly left First Take after a very successful 10-years hosting the show alongside Stephen A. Smith. And it’s been four months since Cornette officially took over as Qerim’s successor.
Cornette was recently profiled by John Mamola of Barrett Media, where she discussed the transition from SportsCenter and radio to First Take. And during the interview, Cornette addressed one of the most frequent criticisms to hit First Take; complaints about the show being too married to the Dallas Cowboys.
“First Take is also very reactionary. ESPN is a 24-hour sports channel. We’re on all the time, so you must be reactionary to what happens the night before,” Cornette said. “Are we just one day going to talk about the Dallas Cowboys? No. There’s going to be a jumping off point. If Dak Prescott talks yesterday, a new contract, or Jerry Jones spoke on a radio show. Then it becomes timely. But if we’re going to pick Cowboys and people talking about the Cowboys or the Lions, we’re going to lean where we’re most passionate. Especially at ESPN, being reactionary must be at the front of the list.”
One of the more recent examples of this occurred during Super Bowl week. With First Take broadcasting from the site of Super Bowl LX, they dedicated a topic to whether Dak Prescott’s Super Bowl window is closed.
We have two amazing young HC’s in the Super Bowl that both seem set up for long term success… so let’s instead talk about the only NFC team that hasn’t been the conference championship game in 30 years https://t.co/5do5vhmpT2
— trey wingo (@wingoz) February 5, 2026
In defense of First Take, Prescott had commented on the Cowboys Super Bowl drought that week, which is essentially what Cornette explained to Barrett Media. They’re not going to fabricate Cowboys topics without finding a jumping off point first. But it was very on brand for First Take to find that jumping off point to have a debate about the Cowboys during Super Bowl week.
You can certainly criticize First Take for finding too many reasons to talk about the Cowboys, LeBron James, or the Lakers. But if ESPN had any evidence that First Take’s audience was more interested in the Houston Texans, Jalen Johnson or the Atlanta Hawks, they would talk more about those topics. And until there is more of a demand for the Texans than the Cowboys or the Hawks than the Lakers, First Take will continue to play the hits, critics be damned.