Shannon Sharpe has been caught in a whirlwind of controversy recently, reportedly losing out on a $100 million deal with ESPN due to legal issues. The Hall of Fame tight end was on the verge of securing the deal with the media giant before being accused of sexual assault by an OnlyFans model in April. While he initially brushed off the allegations, months later, he has found himself in turmoil.
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Gabriella “Gabbi” Zuniga, the woman who made the accusation, first filed the case quietly under the name Jane Doe. It quickly turned into a major scandal across sports media. Zuniga was allegedly offered $10 million in a private settlement but walked away, seeking $50 million instead.
The case has now been settled, and no charges were filed against Sharpe. Still, his career appears damaged beyond repair. He was fired from ESPN, and so far, no networks seem eager to strike a deal with his company, Club Shay Shay Media.
Naturally, celebrities from across the internet have reacted to the news, one of them being former rapper Joe Budden. He discussed the topic on his podcast, and while his co-hosts called the situation unfortunate, Budden took a different stance.
“[It] ain’t that unfortunate, either… People sat in his face on his hit show and said, ‘Hey, [be] careful.’ It’s like God sent you signs, if you believe in that. The universe will send you some type of sign,” Budden said on Joe Budden TV.
The host of the show then noted that Sharpe had interviewed Kat Williams in what became the most-viewed YouTube podcast ever. The interview drew 68 million viewers, including Budden, and one line from it stuck with him the most.
“Hey, quick as you get it, it can go… Kat said it, and if you missed it, Mo’Nique said it [too],” Budden added.
Mo’Nique, of course, is the legendary comedian. In 2024, she sat down with Sharpe and gave a brutally honest answer about him dating younger women. She even advised him to go after someone his own age.
Looking back, it’s almost as if she was foreshadowing his life.
“I’m grateful I’m not 56 and trying… You better take your old a*s and get somebody to love you,” Mo’Nique told Sharpe on Club Shay Shay.
“You don’t need no 26-year-old girl, you don’t need no 36-year-old girl… Take your old a*s and get you an old b*tch out there that can love you old.”
In the end, though, there were other signs of Sharpe’s shadiness. In September of last year, he had a scandal where he unknowingly went on Instagram Live. The video doesn’t show much, but one can hear the former tight end getting intimate with another woman. Sharpe first admitted that he wasn’t hacked, then said he was hacked, only to double back on an episode of Nightcap and say he wasn’t hacked.
Budden believes that these were the “signs” that Sharpe should’ve noticed. But he constantly laughed things off and moved on to the next question before ever considering advice.
“Do you ever think that some of these people that you’re sitting with are so wise or intuitive or knowledgeable or experienced enough that they may be saying something specifically to you for a reason?” Budden asked facetiously.
The rapper’s podcast crew went on to talk about how celebrities often gossip about each other, and that Sharpe carried on far too casually while hosting guests who allegedly knew the dirty truth about him. Because of that, Budden said he doesn’t feel bad for the Hall of Famer.
It’s a great reminder of how quickly things can fall apart after being built up. Sharpe had been on a hot streak in the media space since 2022, going viral with his podcasts, hosting big names, and being on the verge of a life-changing deal. But one legal issue with a woman three decades younger has suddenly sent his career into a tailspin.
