Internet Roasts Shannon Sharpe Over Lewd Live Stream, But He Won't Be Disciplined

Following the accidental streaming of a sex act on his Instagram Live, Shannon Sharpe has been subjected to all sorts of ribbing on the internet. But thankfully for the media personality, it looks like internet jokes will be the extent of his punishment.

On Wednesday afternoon, Sharpe unknowingly streamed audio of himself and an unidentified female sharing an amorous encounter. Initially, the former Undisputed host issued and summarily deleted a statement claiming he was “hacked” and that “me and my team are working vigorously to figure this out.” Later that evening, Sharpe admitted, “My phone wasn’t hacked. It wasn’t a prank, it was me being a healthy, active male.”

Many on the internet had already put two and two together, especially after the ESPN broadcaster posted his explanatory statement to the “hacked” account. The emergence of the video, and Sharpe’s later explanation, were the topic of much ridicule online.

“My brotha, your team ain't working as ‘vigorously’ as you were,” @TheNuGeekz wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

A rumor spread throughout some parts of the internet that ESPN had fired Sharpe, but that is not true. The rumor was seemingly generated from a parody account which also joked that presidential candidate Kamala Harris had torn her ACL during Tuesday's debate and was “out for the season."

On Thursday afternoon, ESPN responded to the incident and told TMZ that Sharpe would not be disciplined for the accidental live stream. Some viewers were alarmed that Sharpe was absent from the day’s episode of First Take, but the network clarified that Sharpe is always off on Thursdays and Fridays.