Shannon Sharpe opened up about a controversial Instagram Live incident that took place on Wednesday, in which he accidentally live-streamed himself having sex with a woman to his 3.2 million followers.
The former NFL star and current ESPN commentator reversed course and admitted that the explicit post was not a result of hacking, but rather an honest mistake on his part.
“Obviously, I am embarrassed,” Sharpe confessed during an emergency episode of his “Nightcap” podcast. “I’m someone who is extremely private, and to have one of my most intimate moments – the audio – out there for the world to hear, I’m embarrassed for a number of reasons.”
Sharpe expressed deep regret, not for the act itself, but for the public exposure of his private life.
āThere are a lot of people that count on Shannon to be professional at all times, and I always try to be that, even behind closed doors,” he said.
“I’m very disappointed in myself. Not for the act – there are millions of consenting adults who engage in activities – but for the fact that the audio was heard. I let a lot of people down.”
The incident unfolded Wednesday afternoon when the video went live on Sharpeās Instagram, featuring audible moaning from a woman.
The clip quickly spread across social media, with thousands of viewers tuning into the NSFW stream.
Initially, Sharpe claimed his account had been hacked, but later that evening, he retracted that statement and admitted that it had been a technical mistake.
“I threw my phone on the bed and engaged in an activity,” Sharpe explained on the podcast. “I didnāt know how Instagram Live worked. Iāve never used it before, and suddenly my other phone started going off.”
Sharpe shared that it was his marketing partner, Jamie Fritz, who managed to reach him and alert him to the ongoing broadcast.
A friend eventually turned off the live video.
“My phone wasnāt hacked. It wasnāt a prank – it was me being a healthy, active male,” Sharpe added, humorously acknowledging the situation. “Yaāll thought I was bulljiving. Unc gets it in.”
Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, Sharpe’s co-host on the podcast attested to his partner’s limited tech skills. “Heās butt-dialed me plenty of times,” Johnson revealed.
While Johnson showed Sharpe some understanding, he couldnāt resist taking a jab at the situation, reminding him of when Sharpe criticized his professionalism just a few days ago.
“Iām baffled. I never thought Iād see the day where you, Unc, would do something so out of character,” Johnson said.
“A little unprofessional. Iām not mad, just thoroughly disappointed because I hold you to a higher standard – the same standard you held me to when you chastised me last Saturday. This really has me in shock.”
Of course, there are plenty of people who think this was a publicity stunt orchestrated by Sharpe despite his clear denial.
What do you think of the unfortunate (yet humorous) situation?
Was it just a sloppy mistake by Sharpe? … Or did he do it on purpose for attention???