SAN FRANCISCO – Could Shannon Sharpe make a comeback at ESPN?
Sharpe reunited with his old First Take sparring partner, Stephen A. Smith, here on Radio Row on Thursday for a live version of his Nightcap podcast with Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson.
In an exclusive interview with Front Office Sports, Sharpe said he’s open to a possible reunion with Smith and ESPN.
“That’s not my call. I would love to go back if they were to call. Burke [Magnus], Jimmy [Pitaro], Dave Roberts. That is their call. But obviously, I’m more than willing, I’m more than capable. They see what we do here on Nightcap. They see the numbers that we generate, “ Sharpe said.
“Club Shay Shay was in the Top 10 this weekend on YouTube. Both of our shows are normally in the Top 20. Very few people can say they have a Top 20 show. We normally, customarily have two shows in the Top 20 on YouTube. So clearly, I still have a fan base. I still have a big following. If a reunion is in order, I’m amenable to it.”
ESPN had no comment on Sharpe.
The last three years have been a rollercoaster ride for the Pro Football Hall of Famer. In June 2023, Sharpe split with debate partner Skip Bayless after six successful years on FS1’s Undisputed. Their relationship became so toxic that they had a public fallout on the air. A disgusted Sharpe took a buyout from FS1–and left Bayless on his own.
The next year, Smith personally recruited Sharpe as a contributor to his morning juggernaut First Take, which routinely trounced Undisputed in the ratings. Sharpe joined ESPN part-time–and became an even bigger TV star than before.
The three-time Super Bowl champion added humor to the debate show. He broke Smith up by roasting fellow First Take panelist Dan Orlovsky for looking like a “fast food manager” with his checked, short-sleeve shirt. In June 2024, Sharpe signed a multi-year contract extension with ESPN that essentially made him the successor to Smith if the First Take superstar ever left the worldwide leader for a second career in politics or entertainment.
At the same time, Sharpe was turning his owned and operated Club Shay Shay podcast into one of the biggest shows in sports media. His landmark interview with comedian Katt Williams in 2024 broke the Internet with 91.5 million views and counting. He added the hit Nightcap podcast with Johnson. By April 2025, Sharpe was getting multiple offers for his five-year-old Shay Shay Media. With his deal with Colin Cowherd’s The Volume set to expire. Sharpe was in line for a Bill Simmons-like deal worth $100 million or more for his media empire.
But it all fell apart quickly thanks to an embarrassing $50 million lawsuit filed by an ex-girlfriend in April, 2025. The legal back and forth featured a series of lurid, sexually detailed texts by both parties. Sharpe temporarily stepped away from First Take and eventually settled the suit. But the damage was done. Disney-owned ESPN parted ways with Sharpe last July. Even so, Smith and Sharpe kept in touch. So it was no surprise when his friend made a surprise appearance with Sharpe and Johnson on Radio Row.
“Stephen A. never left my side. We still talk. We probably talk more now than we did when I was actually on the show. He’s been great. He’s always been in my corner,” Sharpe said.
“I didn’t know Stephen A. that well. We knew each other casually in passing,” he said. “Until I really started working on the show. Then this past year, obviously, with what happened, he’s been there every step of the way. ‘You need anything? He always texts me. Hey, I’m free, I’m about to call you.’ He’ll call, he’ll touch base to make sure everything was OK, and tell me to keep my head up. He’s just been great. I think he gets a bad rap. People see him on First Take, and they have his takes. He’s really, truly a great man.”
The best news for Sharpe? Despite the headlines, his audience never left him. Sharpe’s viewership numbers for Club Shay Shay and Nightcap have actually gone up, not down, following the lawsuit.
During the 2025 football season, his overall YouTube views rose 22% from the previous season. And his live episode views increased 32%. On Thursday night, he and Johnson were set to host a live taping of Nightcap at the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco.
Said Sharpe about his loyal fans: “They never left. They believed in me. They supported me. They propped me up when I had fallen down. They wouldn’t let me stay down. It’s been unbelievable. If somebody would have told me this was going to be the outcome. You know, I thought I could bounce back. But I thought it would take longer than it actually did.”
