Shannon Sharpe is ‘embarrassed’ to have sex on Instagram Live

Shannon Sharpe comes clean about his viral Instagram Live moment.

On Wednesday night, the NFL Hall of Famer and current ESPN host shocked his 3.2 million Instagram followers by apparently going live in the middle of a sexual encounter with a woman. The broadcast, which ended after nearly two full minutes, was followed by a now-deleted X (formerly Twitter) statement from Sharpe claiming his account had been “hacked.” No one was visible on screen in the live broadcast, but viewers could hear the audio.

Hours later, Sharpe recorded an emergency episode of his Nightcap Podcast with co-host Chad “Ocho” Johnson, where he admitted that he did indeed go live in the middle of an intimate moment.

“Of course I’m embarrassed,” Sharpe began. “I’m someone who is very, very private, and to have one of your most intimate details – the audio recording – out there for the whole world to hear? That’s embarrassing for a number of reasons.”

Sharpe continued in the third person, saying, “People count on Shannon. Shay Shay Media, Club Shay Shay, Nightcap, ESPN… There are a lot of people who always count on him. Even when I’m behind closed doors, I try to maintain a certain level of professionalism, even though I’m in the privacy of my own home. And I’m very disappointed in myself,” he said, then clarified, “Not because of the act. There are millions and billions of people of consenting age who participate in activities, but I’ve disappointed a lot of people.”

Sharpe then explained that the video was not staged and was completely unintentional.

“I came in, threw my phone on the bed and started doing something,” he said. “I didn’t know about IG Live. I’ve never been on IG Live. I’ve never turned on IG Live, so I don’t know how it works.”

He explained that he became aware of the intimate moment, which was being live-streamed, because his other phone was triggering calls and texts from friends and acquaintances. When one of his marketing assistants finally reached him and informed him of the situation, Sharpe said, “My heart sank. It sank into my pants.”

Sharpe said the assistant was “a good Samaritan” who ended the Instagram Live and posted the message claiming he had been hacked. After understanding the situation, Sharpe decided it was best to come clean.

“I called my agent, I called the agency, I called ESPN and I thought, ‘I just have to tell them the truth.’ My phone wasn’t hacked. It wasn’t a prank. I was just a healthy, active man,” he said.

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While Sharpe continued to express his embarrassment and disappointment in himself, it was only a few minutes into the episode before he was ready to crack jokes about the situation. When Johnson suggested that the livestream might make Sharpe more popular with women, he laughed.

“If you have an allergy, like to peanuts, shellfish, bee stings or ants or anything like that, you need to carry an EpiPen. I always carry those with me,” he joked, holding up several packs of condoms.

When asked if history would ever repeat itself, Sharpe said he would take precautions in the future. “I’ll tell you what,” he said. “From now on, my phone will be in the car.”

Sharpe is a former Super Bowl champion who won the championship game three times in his 14-year career: twice with the Broncos and once with the Baltimore Ravens. When he retired in 2004, Sharpe was the all-time number one tight end in yards and receptions. He has since maintained a presence in sports media as a former Fox Sports host and current ESPN contributor, in addition to his podcast with Johnson.

You can see Sharpe address the IG Live mishap in the podcast episode above.