After Chad Johnson was late to a live recording of Nightcap during Week 1 of the NFL season, co-host and Shay Shay Media founder Shannon Sharpe criticized his lack of professionalism live on-air before recording an apology the following day to explain his disagreement with Johnson.
On Sunday night, Johnson was late when his rideshare driver accidentally locked his keys in his car. Sharpe argued back and forth with Johnson that he should be more professional and call a car service like most in media, and that he should prioritize Nightcap just as much as his jobs at ESPN and The CW when it comes to timeliness.
“You say you want to be professional, you want to do ESPN, you want to do all these professional things, but you want to take a bootleg ride,” Sharpe said. “Let me know how that works out for you.”
Shannon Sharpe speaks on clearing the air after having a disagreement with Ochocinco LIVE on the Nightcap podcast pic.twitter.com/p2MmAjrEPX
— 2Cool2Blog (@2Cool2Blog) September 9, 2024
The same day, Sharpe became frustrated during an ad read due to miscommunication with his producers in the studio.
In a video released on Monday, Sharpe explained his perspective on the argument with Johnson and laid out why it is so important for him that both he and Johnson are on their Ps and Qs at all times.
“What I am going to do is I’m going to push, I’m going to pull, I’m going to drag Ocho to a level that he didn’t think he could get to,” Sharpe said. “When you go to a studio, they want a timeslot. OK, what timeslot do you want to be in, and can we account for you being in that slot? Yes. Yes, absolutely. So I want Ocho to take it seriously.”
Unc clears up yesterday’s Situation 🗣️@ShannonSharpe @ochocinco @ShayShayMedia_
Tune in : https://t.co/iTMqu3Uz4V pic.twitter.com/hq0kgp2iE1
— Nightcap (@NightcapShow_) September 9, 2024
Sharpe believes Nightcap, which he and Johnson have taken from a late-night Zoom broadcast to a YouTube juggernaut in just one year, can graduate to the big leagues sooner than later. And he’s right to be optimistic it can get there. This summer, Nightcap went on a summer tour of live shows at theaters throughout the country. Each of its livestreams so far during football season has cleared 250,000 views.
While some raised an eyebrow when Sharpe picked Johnson to be his co-host for a nightly show, the two have brilliant chemistry that has translated to a massive audience. But as Nightcap grows, Sharpe is pushing the younger Johnson to embrace perfectionism and make necessary sacrifices.
“When I look at Ocho, I see a guy that wants to do it, but has never been in a situation where … I’m going to force Ocho to be great,” Sharpe said. “I think there is a level of professionalism and common courtesy that comes along with being great.”
If anything, this moment shows a level of closeness between Sharpe and Johnson that is rare among cohosts. Even while Sharpe was taking him to task, Johnson was smiling wide.
If the first year of Nightcap is any indication, that mutual trust and their chops to put on a great show will take them far.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is an Editorial Lead at Awful Announcing overseeing digital content and special projects. He lives in Phoenix and has covered sports media for Awful Announcing since 2023.