Shannon Sharpe Lawsuit: How Stephen A. Smith, Cam'ron, Antonio Brown, & More Reacted to Allegations

As Complex reported this week, Shannon Sharpe has been accused of sexual assault and battery in a multimillion-dollar lawsuit from a woman represented by lawyer Tony Buzbee. Sharpe has denied the allegations against him, calling the suit an attempt at a “shakedown.”

Given the high-profile nature of the suit, plus subsequent updates in the form of alleged audio clips purportedly containing portions of conversations between Sharpe and his accuser, a handful of public figures have spoken out about the Club Shay Shay host and three-time Super Bowl champ’s current legal situation.

See reactions from Cam'ron, Stephen A. Smith, and more below.

What did Cam'ron say about Shannon Sharpe's lawsuit?

Cam, like others who have offered their take on the suit (including, as seen below, Charlamagne tha God), zeroed in on the age difference between Sharpe and the woman. He also criticized Buzbee's involvement.

“How old Unc, 92?” Cam said. “Unc, you gotta know what’s going on.”

Cam spoke about the more salacious aspects of the allegations against Sharpe and the content of their alleged text exchanges. As for what’s next, Cam is optimistic, despite the critical tone of some of his remarks.

“I hope that Disney does keep him,” Cam said, adding that he’s “rooting for” Sharpe and agrees with his argument that the lawsuit is “a shakedown.”

What did Stephen A. Smith say about Shannon Sharpe's lawsuit?

Smith, speaking on a Sharpe-focused episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show, questioned the strategy of releasing alleged text exchanges. He also confirmed that he and Sharpe have spoken about the allegations.

“I can tell you all that I spoke to Shannon and he emphatically proclaims his innocence,” Smith said.

Elsewhere, he mentioned his prior recruitment of Sharpe and summarized a conversation he says he recently had with ESPN executive Jimmy Pitaro.

“I am the executive producer of First Take on ESPN,” Smith said. “I recruited Shannon. I went and got him and brought him to ESPN. But I’m not the boss. Those are other folks. There are layers to this, and there are certain layers even I am not on.”

What did Antonio Brown say about Shannon Sharpe's lawsuit?

AB, meanwhile, took an entirely different tone with his reactions to the lawsuit.

On X, Brown, who himself was accused of rape in 2019 (he denied those allegations through a lawyer), trolled Sharpe with several posts.

He also questioned ESPN and Fox Sports in relation to their Sharpe coverage, arguing that they “throw allegations around like crazy amongst athletes” yet “say nothing” over allegations of this nature.

What did Charlamagne tha God say about Shannon Sharpe's lawsuit?

While Charlamagne was curious as to why Buzbee would be enlisted in this case (“If you want to be taken seriously, you don’t go get Tony Buzbee”), he was critical of the more than 30-year age gap between the woman and Sharpe, who is now 56.

“This is a very, very messy situation,” he said on an episode of The Breakfast Club. “I don’t know what’s true and what’s not true, but I have no idea why a 53-year-old man is dating a 19, 20-year-old. I know y’all like to be out here bragging about smashing these young things but that’s not a flex to me. You 54 years old, you should be laid up with your wife and kids, taking your cholesterol medicine, and minding your damn business. … Men need discipline and stability.”

What has Shannon Sharpe said about the lawsuit?

In a video statement, Sharpe said the suit was “being orchestrated by” Buzbee, adding that he previously “targeted Jay-Z.” Jay, in connection with an unrelated (and since-nixed) suit, has accused the lawyer of defamation.

According to Sharpe, the latest from Buzbee amounts to a “shakedown,” with an alleged sex tape said to be crucial in the claims against him.

“That video should actually be 10 minutes or so,” Sharpe said on Instagram. “Hey, Tony. Instead of releasing your edit, put the whole video out. I don’t have it or I would myself. You know what happened but you’re trying to manipulate the media. The encounter in question took place during the day at her invitation and now that appears to be a deliberate setup coordinated by Gabi, also known as Karli on OnlyFans. Gabi and Tony Buzbee want $50 million. What they’re getting is sued for defamation and trying to take me down.”

Who else has spoken out about Shannon Sharpe's lawsuit?

The reactions will surely keep piling up in the weeks ahead, ranging from the somber and measured (like Smith) to outright jokes (see Brown). On the latter front, the Gil’s Arena crew couldn’t help but veer off course during a recent episode, leaving co-host Josiah Johnson to futilely try and right the conversation.