ESPN let go of Shannon Sharpe in July 2025, just about two weeks after he settled a lawsuit worth $50 million. This was a major hurdle for the former Denver Broncos tight end, who had built a commanding presence in the media. And to make matters worse, the network also tried to make away with Sharpe’s longtime friend and podcast co-host, Chad Johnson.

“They came to Ocho, tried to sign Ocho from under me,” Sharpe said on Nightcap. “He ain’t going to never be the same. He ain’t gonna never rebound. I tell you what, guess what? We gonna sink together then.”

Since retiring from the NFL, Sharpe’s off-the-field career has been nothing short of eventful. In addition to taking up a role as a commentator for The NFL Today show on CBS Sports, Sharpe would also be a regular on the ‘Skip and Shannon: Undisputed’ from 2016 to 2023. Sharpe also established himself as a podcast sensation with ‘Club Shay Shay’ and ‘Nightcap.’ He hosts the latter with Johnson.

When Sharpe left Undisputed in 2023, ESPN scooped him up, and he settled in as a weekly voice on First Take. But this stint ended in 2025, after he was accused of sexual assault. The case was settled and dismissed with prejudice in July that year, according to ESPN, but Sharpe did not return on the network. ESPN tried to scoop Ocho up on the side.

As the weeks dragged on, rumors swirled that ESPN was eyeing Ochocinco as his replacement. Front Office Sports had heard from a source that the network could try to target Sharpe’s audience without him if they just “slide Chad in there.”

Instead of abandoning Sharpe, Ochocinco chose to stay at Nightcap, which continues to stream every day on YouTube. The latter also opened up about that choice earlier this year, telling Front Office Sports it wasn’t even a hard call.

“It was an easy decision for me. We all make mistakes in life, regardless of how it looks. I’ve made mistakes in life,” Ocho said in March 2026. “Who the hell am I to say, ‘Oh my goodness, Shannon messed up, you know what, I’m gonna kick rocks’ or, ‘Oh man, he messed up the money.’ No! That’s not what loyalty is. I agreed to do a show with Shannon Sharpe, come hell or high or thick water.”

In the end, ESPN’s plan never got off the ground. But Nightcap and Club Shay Shay stand strong, with subscriber totals of more than 2 million and 4.2 million, respectively.