Shannon Sharpe reportedly out at ESPN

Shannon Sharpe is officially out at ESPN.

Despite Stephen A. Smith’s public push to bring him back for football season, the former NFL star and co-host of First Take will not be returning to the network. The move comes just weeks after Sharpe settled a $50 million sexual assault lawsuit that became a public spectacle, largely due to how aggressively he chose to fight it.

Instead of handling the case privately, Sharpe went on the offensive. He posted about the lawsuit on social media, named his accuser, and released text messages and voicemails in an attempt to discredit her. That approach drew sharp criticism and forced ESPN into an increasingly uncomfortable position.

Now, per The Athletic, ESPN and Sharpe have parted ways. The decision follows the confidential settlement of the lawsuit that was reached earlier this month. Sharpe maintains his innocence and has publicly framed the case as extortion, but his highly public response — and the network’s silence since — pointed toward this outcome for weeks.

His exit marks the end of one of the most talked-about studio show runs in recent ESPN history. Sharpe joined First Take in August 2023 and quickly became a viral fixture alongside Smith. Their chemistry helped drive ratings and gave the show a renewed sense of energy. ESPN built its weekday mornings around them, and Smith openly lobbied for Sharpe’s return after the lawsuit was filed.

“I’m hopeful that I’ll have my brother back on the airwaves talking football next season,” Stephen A. Smith said in May.

That won’t happen.

Sharpe will not return to First Take. For all intents and purposes, ESPN will likely rely on a rotating group of contributors this football season, which typically brings the show its highest ratings. Faced with mounting public pressure and a newly settled lawsuit, the network had to make a decision. It chose to move on.

Sharpe will now turn his attention back to Club Shay Shay and Nightcap, the podcasts he owns and controls. He no longer has ESPN behind him, but he never needed the network to stay relevant. That said, leaving First Take — after becoming such a key part of its recent rise — is a significant loss not just for Sharpe, but for a show that finally had a formula that seemed to be working post-Max Kellerman.

As it turns out, Dan Le Batard was right. Disney was probably never going to ride this out.