Shannon Sharpe opens up about relationship with Stephen A. Smith

Shannon Sharpe may have felt abandoned by certain people in the wake of the sexual assault lawsuit scandal against him, but Stephen A. Smith isn’t one of them.

On a recent episode of Nightcap, Sharpe discussed seeking to find a lesson in being publicly accused of sexual assault earlier this year. Sharpe ultimately settled the $50 million lawsuit with his accuser, but noted he used the experience to tighten his inner circle. According to the Shay Shay Media founder, he quickly realized who he could trust after seeing people he thought were friends leave his side during the lawsuit scandal. As he was talking on Nightcap, Sharpe noticed listeners in the chat repeatedly suggesting he was referring to Smith.

“I’m looking at the chat and everybody say Stephen A. No, I will say this, Stephen A. has called me and been there every step of the way. I will say that. I will say, Stephen A. has reached out, he’s called, asked me anything,” Sharpe said. “I know a lot of people say a lot of things about Stephen A., all I can attest to is the way Stephen A. is with Shannon. And he’s been great.

“Because when I went through what I was going through at Fox, he was there. When I was going through this, he was calling, ‘Anything I can do? What can I do?’ I won’t get into private conversations that we have because that’s between he and I.”

Sharpe was on First Take as news of the lawsuit against him broke in April. Later that week, he announced his own leave of absence from ESPN, saying he planned to rejoin the network before the NFL season. Smith, however, addressed the situation cautiously and leaned on an unofficial statement from Jimmy Pitaro, leading many to wonder whether he even wanted Sharpe back on First Take amid the scandal.

Smith was very vocal about pushing for Sharpe to join him on First Take after he was let go by Fox Sports in 2023. But he was much less vocal about wanting to keep Sharpe at ESPN, even after the Pro Football Hall-of-Famer settled the lawsuit. Smith has claimed they’ve maintained a strong relationship despite parting ways, but it’s notable to hear Sharpe admit he still feels the same.