Shannon Sharpe has officially been released by ESPN, and fans have quickly reacted on social media. People magazine reported that the network cut ties with the Hall of Fame analyst. This was just a few weeks after he settled for a $50 million civil lawsuit that accused him of sexual assault.
BREAKING: ESPN has fired Shannon Sharpe, per @TheAthletic pic.twitter.com/qN3lnVoGeV
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 30, 2025
When the lawsuit was filed, Sharpe immediately took a leave of absence from ESPN. He was supposed to return to the network right before the start of the NFL season, but ESPN ultimately decided that his time there would be coming to an end. The news made its way onto Twitter, and the fan reactions were pretty divided on the news.
“Settled and still got fired. Fhew“ one said.
“How will he pay for his multi million dollar law suit now?” another joked.
”What did he do to deserve that” one wondered.
“everyone saw this coming after he settled the lawsuit tbh” another commented.
“What was the point of the settlement if he was going to get fired?” one replied.
“Wasn’t he fired like a year ago lmaoooo” another joked.
Sharpe was brought in to ESPN after his time at FS1 to replace Max Kellerman on ESPN’s First Take. Stephen A Smith and Sharpe were projected to have the top morning talk show, and ultimately succeeded. Sharpe was responsible for 3 out of the top 4 episodes of First Take during 2024. Unfortunately, the partnership will be ending early and will leave ESPN scrambling to pick up a new analyst. Sharpe won’t be completely out of the spotlight, though.
What’s Next for Shannon Sharpe?
Sharpe still has his ‘Club Shay Shay Podcast’, which gets millions of views. He regularly interviews various stars, including Kevin Hart and Katt Williams. He also hosts ‘Nightcap’ with Chad Ochocinco, which also garnered attention, especially on YouTube.
It appears Sharpe will lean more into his podcasts during his time away from live television. His following has grown a tremendous amount in the past few years, and Sharpe doesn’t seem too concerned either. In an interview with Hollywood Reporter, Sharpe explained that his media personality had grown more than his playing career.
“I’m bigger now than at any point in my career. I’m 10 times what I was,” he said.
ESPN may have decided to get away from Sharpe, but is there any way to escape his footprint?
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