Shannon Sharpe is the center of yet another lawsuit. The former ESPN host and Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson are being sued for comments they made about Jimalita Tillman, a Usher concertgoer, on their “Nightcap” podcast.
“On April 2, 2025, I participated in a fan engagement moment at a Usher Raymond concert where I interacted with the artist as a selected audience member,” the lawsuit reads, per the U.S. Sun. “Following this event, the defendants made and disseminated false and defamatory statements suggesting that I was married and that my husband was filing for divorce due to my participation in this audience experience. I am not married, nor am I currently going through a divorce.”
Despite Johnson and Sharpe’s claims, Tillman, who is a global director for the Harold Washington Cultural Center, stresses that she “was not married at the time of the fan participation moment during the Usher concert.” So much so that she did a news interview to combat the allegations.
“That is completely false. I am single,” Tillman told WGN News at the time. “I am a retired homeschool mom looking to expand the arts here and across the pond. I am single. You got a cherry, give me a jingle.”
In addition to publicly refuting the false claims, Tillman said she “made numerous efforts to contact the defendants to request the removal of this false narrative, but these requests were disregarded.”
She said these false narratives, which were “shared widely across their platforms, reaching millions of followers,” caused “significant harm” to her character and reputation.
“Their continued dissemination of these false statements after I publicly clarified my marital status demonstrates a reckless disregard for the truth,” reads the lawsuit. “The ongoing misinformation has resulted in emotional distress for the plaintiff, damaged her reputation and adversely affected her personal and professional relationships.”
Now, Tillman is seeking $20 million in damages in her lawsuit against Sharpe, Johnson and the show’s production company, Shay Shay Media. This lawsuit comes weeks after Sharpe settled a $50 million sexual assault lawsuit and days after ESPN severed ties with the NFL Hall of Famer.
