People online love making mountains out of molehills, but every now and then, that spirals into a full-blown conspiracy. It’s been a few months since Shannon Sharpe’s infamous “Instagram Live incident”, and yet, netizens still refuse to let it go. Many still believe that Sharpe orchestrated the whole thing as an elaborate stunt for clout and personal gain.
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The legendary tight end, however, isn’t amused by this narrative. In fact, he’s straight-up baffled at the idea that he would willingly risk everything for some fleeting internet attention.
Sharpe discussed this after his guest, Yung Miami, brought up the viral IG Live incident amid talks about all things hip-hop and relationships. He initially laughed alongside the rapper about the mishap but quickly cleared the air, stating that none of the conspiracy theories that stemmed from it have an ounce of truth.
Sharpe then touched on the fact that he has spent years walking a fine line between public and private life. While he’s one of sports media’s most entertaining personalities, he’s also fiercely protective of his personal world. So, it’s simply not in his nature to expose such an intimate part of his life in public.
“It doesn’t [make sense] because I’m such a private person, and I’ve done a great job of keeping my personal life private. I did as good a job as I could shielding my kids, my relationships because I believe public relationships—when they end, they have to end publicly also,” Sharpe explained, not mincing words (via Club Shay Shay).
“So I like to be behind the scenes. I like to date privately. I like to—if we end this relationship—I like to end it privately. And here I am.”
Despite Sharpe’s reputation as someone who keeps his private life under wraps, a corner of the internet remains convinced that the IG Live slip-up was no accident. They argue that it was a calculated stunt—something to generate headlines and keep him trending. Sharpe addressed that whisper as well.
“People actually think I intended to do that? Really? Lose my job? Potentially, you know, 50 million dollars from Disney gone? All these advertising and sponsors, that Club Shay Shay, Nightcap, and all the affiliates that’s up on the Shay Shay media? Lose that—millions? What?” an emotional Sharpe said.
“It was the growling for me. … You were tearing that thang up.” – @YungMiami305 pic.twitter.com/hHKNUXjjGW
— Club Shay Shay (@ClubShayShay) March 19, 2025
Sharpe’s media career was written off by many after he left Undisputed. But the fact that he built one of the fastest-growing and biggest NFL media empires right after proves just how well the Broncos legend understands the business. Logically, no amount of internet buzz would be worth jeopardizing the empire he has painstakingly built.
As for the IG Live fiasco, it seemed like none of the conspiracy theories affected Sharpe on a personal level. But he did take away some key insights from netizens’ reaction to the incident—the most prominent being how gullible the internet users are today.
“And that’s when you realize that the internet has their own perception of what things are. They’ll believe something that isn’t true, and then they won’t believe something that is true. Right? And the internet media has done—I mean, I love the internet, it has its pros and cons—but it’s done a horrible job. I mean, people believe damn near everything that comes out on the internet.”
At the end of the day, Sharpe is moving on—even if the memes won’t let him. The IG Live moment may live forever in internet archives, but for him, it’s just another wild chapter in a career full of unexpected twists.
