Shannon Sharpe has made it clear that he has nothing to do with the bombshell lawsuit involving his former FS1 co-hosts.
Still, that didn’t stop the Hall of Fame tight end from having some fun at Skip Bayless’ expense hours after news of the pending litigation first broke.
On Sunday evening’s episode of Nightcap, Sharpe found himself arguing with co-host Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson about the Denver Broncos’ 38-0 Week 18 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. And while doing so, the First Take star invoked one of Bayless’ most famous moments from their time co-hosting Undisputed at FS1.
“You gonna let me talk, Ocho?” Sharpe asked, before getting increasingly aggressive and shouting, “It’s my turn!”
“ITS MY TURN” — Shannon Sharpe
There’s no way that on a day like today, Shannon dropped this Skip reference on @NightcapShow_ pic.twitter.com/mhaIzHOieQ
— Benjamin Cure (@BenjaminCureTV) January 6, 2025
“It’s my turn!” of course were the exact same words that a much more serious Bayless once shouted at Sharpe during an especially heated argument on Undisputed in 2019.
Skip Bayless it’s / it is my turn pic.twitter.com/SzpzdFeWrr
— reaction memes ➡️ @VideoReacts (@VideoReacts) July 7, 2022
While Sharpe hasn’t been one to bite his tongue regarding Bayless following his own departure from FS1 in 2023, the timing of his latest jab likely wasn’t an accident. Hours before Sunday’s episode of Nightcap went live, Front Office Sports broke the news regarding a stunning lawsuit accusing a Fox Sports EVP and multiple on-air talent — including Bayless — of workplace misconduct, including sexual battery and harassment.
In the lawsuit (which can be read in its entirety here via FOS), a former Fox Sports hairstylist named Noushin Faraji accuses Bayless of offering her $1.5 million to have sex with him — which she declined — and giving her “lingering hugs and kisses on the cheek while putting his body against hers and pressing against her breasts.” The lawsuit also alleges that Bayless got upset with her on multiple occasions because he falsely believed she had been sleeping with his “archrvial” in Sharpe, something that he later revealed he had been told by Fox Sports EVP of content Charlie Dixon, who along with fellow former Undisputed co-host Joy Taylor is also named as a defendant in the suit.
In a statement to Front Office Sports, Fox said: “We take these allegations seriously and have no further comment at this time given this pending litigation.”
While it’s always possible that the timing of Sharpe’s latest jab at Bayless was a coincidence, the lawsuit against his former co-host was clearly top of mind for the former Denver Broncos star on Sunday night. Later in the episode, Sharpe made it clear he had nothing to do with the litigation that had been filed against his former co-workers.
“That ain’t got nothing to do with me. So there’s nothing to address,” he said. “If you notice, everybody that’s posted it, they [mention] me. In the 42 pages, it don’t mention nothing about Shannon Sharpe doing anything. But y’all wanna get clicks, so y’all mention me.”
[Nightcap]
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.