Shannon Sharpe & Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson Hit With Lawsuit

Shannon Sharpe and Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson face a $20 million lawsuit. Jimalita Tillman, a Chicago cultural director, filed the suit on July 25. She claims Sharpe and Johnson spread lies about her on their Nightcap podcast.

The controversy started after Tillman went viral at an Usher concert in London on April 2. Usher serenaded her during the show, and the clip quickly spread online.

Sharpe and Johnson commented on the video in an April podcast. They joked that Tillman was married and that her husband wanted a divorce after the concert. But Tillman says that’s false—she’s never been married.

Tillman says their claims hurt her reputation and career. She runs programs in youth advocacy and education and says the rumors caused “emotional distress.” She also says she asked their team multiple times to correct the story. They ignored her.

The lawsuit accuses Sharpe and Johnson of defamation. Tillman says they acted with “reckless disregard for the truth.” She also named Shay Shay Media, their production company, in the suit.

Marcellus Wiley, a former NFL player and media host, weighed in on the case. “Once that first domino falls, then multiple fall,” he said. He believes Sharpe’s past controversies are piling up.

This isn’t Sharpe’s first legal problem. In July, he settled a $50 million sexual assault case. That case led to ESPN ending their relationship with him.

Sharpe and Johnson still host Nightcap daily. The show airs on YouTube through Shay Shay Media and has about 1.8 million subscribers.

Sharpe’s legal team has until August 22 to respond to the lawsuit. It’s unclear how this new case will affect his media career.