Shannon Sharpe dominated headlines as April came to a close when news broke that he was facing a $50 million lawsuit. The retired Hall of Famer was hit with allegations of sexual assault and battery, with the accuser being a woman he entered a consensual two-year relationship with in the past. Since then, there have been several developments in the story, including Sharpe issuing an official statement of his defense, him taking a leave of absence from his duties at ESPN, and more.
The 56-year-old has been a front-facing face in the sports and media world for decades, and many of his colleagues who cover current events covered the lawsuit news on their respective platforms. The overlap of personal relationships made for an interesting dynamic, with figures like Stephen A. Smith and Cam Newton disclosing their affinity to Sharpe before sharing their honest takes.
On April 20, 2025, a 13-page civil complaint was filed in a Nevada state court accusing the retired tight end of committing assault, sexual assault, battery, and sexual battery, and that he engaged in the intentional infliction of emotional distress. The suit discloses the plaintiff and Sharpe entered a two-year consensual relationship, a sentiment he has agreed with. However, the Jane Doe claims his behavior turned abusive as he allegedly has threatened to kill the plaintiff when she attempted to share her location with friends, raped her, and sexually assaulted her multiple times.
Since then, the Club Shay Shay host and his legal team have vehemently denied the allegations and claimed Jane Doe set up the entire situation with a plan to extort him for $50 million. They revealed her alleged legal name and released text messages where she made sexually graphic requests. The texts were released in an attempt to provide more context about why the 56-year-old responded the way he did during their exchanges.
Sharpe announced he would be “stepping aside” from his recurring host role on ESPN’s First Take so he could “devote this time to my family, and responding and dealing with these false and disruptive allegations set against me.” However, he is still regularly releasing episodes of Nightcap and Club Shay Shay.
Read some reactions from celebrities and colleagues below.
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Stephen A. Smith
Image Credit: Rob Carr/Getty Images It’s no secret Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe have a strong personal and working relationship, so initially, the successful sports commentator was “a bit torn” over how he felt about the entire ordeal. When he first shared his thoughts, he said he’s “sincerely hopeful that [Sharpe] is completely innocent of the allegations levied against him.” He also pointed out Sharpe’s legal team’s choice to release alleged texts from the Jane Doe made him “uncomfortable” and highlighted that Tony Buzbee was the attorney representing her.
A week later, Smith returned to add that he thinks people have been targeting Sharpe due to the success of his Katt Williams Club Shay Shay interview, which is currently at 89 million YouTube views. “People have been after him since he did Katt Williams,” the Queens, N.Y. native. “They’ve been at his neck because of the numbers he produced and the success that it had and how he was able to ride that wave.”
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Charlamagne Tha God
Image Credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images Charlamagne That God feels Shannon’s dating decisions are questionable and that all jokes about his situation are “fair.”
“There is absolutely no reason for a 56-year-old man — 54-year-old man, at the time — to be hollering at a 19-year-old… That’s a lack of d*ck discipline,” he said during an episode of his Brilliant Idiots podcast. “A 54-year-old person with that much to lose should not be talking to a 19-year-old.
The longtime radio host added that although the situation was technically not against the law, it may be ethically questionable. “Listen, it may be legal, but just common sense should say, ‘You know what? This is not what I want to be in,’” he said. “How green is Shannon Sharpe? He’s not a rookie.”
Additionally, while The Breakfast Club was discussing a resurfaced conversation between Donnell Rawlings and Sharpe, where the latter made jokes about age-gap relationships, Charlamagne quipped, “That moment right there? That means all jokes about Shanno Sharpe are fair.”
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Stephen Jackson
Image Credit: David Becker/Getty Images for BIG3 Stephen Jackson took the more empathetic approach, encouraging people to not “kick somebody when they’re going through something.”
“Our own people be ready to kick us when we down,” the retired NBA player said in a video he posted on social media. Shannon going through a little something. And I don’t know what’s going on. But look at how many of y’all happy to see Shannon go through something.”
“I’m praying for all my brothers out here, man, ’cause we all got a wave to catch,” Jackson continued concerning the Shannon Sharpe case. “It’s enough of all of us out here. But it’s not surprising to see how many of us can’t wait to see one of us go through something. And every man has a wave to catch. It’s enough of all of us out here, bro. Every last one of us. Don’t try to kick somebody when they’re going through something, man. Every man has a wave to catch. You just got to wait on God. Facts.”
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Mo’Nique
Image Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Image Mo’Nique’s name immediately entered the conversation when the case news broke. Fans began recirculating a clip from her February 2024 Club Shay Shay appearance when she warned the ESPN pundit that he shouldn’t date “young b**ches.” She also said he needs an “old gal” instead who will most likely be more his speed and won’t take advantage of his financial status.
After the news broke, Mo made sure to have her “I told you so” moment, During the May 3 stop on Katt Williams’ Heaven On Earth comedy tour, The Deliverance star reminded people that she attempted to give the former Denver Bronco some relationship advice.
“Here it come, baby. Here it come, God damn it,” Mo’Nique warned the crowd as she fired off her next joke. “Yes, I told that n**ga Shannon Sharpe leave the white b**ches alone!” she said while the crowd laughed and cheered. Watch the moment below.
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Cam Newton
Image Credit: YouTube screenshot. Cam Newton started off his response by disclosing he considers Sharpe a friend, advisor, and someone he flat-out looks up to and holds to a high regard. He agreed Tony Buzbee has been “on the front line of trying to expose very well-known African Americans.”
“No matter what you got going on, poppin’ unpoppin’, successful unsuccessful, just be careful. Human rights is real. No means no. People have the right to feel offended and feel any type of way,” Newton said during an episode of his 4th & 1 show. “When you see things develop, his image will take a hit. Shannon Sharpe has been a person in media that is relatable to the culture. You hope that he’s innocent, but you don’t want to be misogynistic to the young lady and what she feels to be an assault. So dare I speak on a developing story, but I just know who Shannon Sharpe is to me.”
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