THE $20 million lawsuit accusing embattled ex-NFL star Shannon Sharpe of spreading lies about a concertgoer has taken a massive turn.
Jimalita Tillman claimed that Sharpe and his podcast co-host falsely said that she was married when she shared a flirty moment with Usher at one of his shows.
The Chicago resident was recorded making smoldering eye contact with the singer as he slowly fed her a maraschino cherry at the front row of the concert on April 2.
The 57-year-old football star discussed the viral moment on his podcast Nightcap with co-host Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Johnson, and insinuated that Tillman wasn’t single when she performed the stunt.
He claimed that Tillman’s flirty interaction with Usher led to the demise of her marriage, but the concertgoer said that she was fully single at the time.
She filed a lawsuit alleging that Sharpe’s comments hurt her standing as the director of the Harold Washington Cultural Center and her work as a homeschool advocate.
Tillman, who is a single mother, claimed that she tried to get Sharpe and Johnson to retract their statements, but instead they “continued to post the defamatory content across their social media platforms.”
“I made numerous efforts to contact the defendants to request the removal of this false narrative, but these requests were disregarded,” read the filings obtained by The U.S. Sun.
Now, the suit has been dismissed by a Chicago federal court, and Tillman said that she’s happy with how everything was handled.
“I am pleased with the outcome,” she told Fox affiliate WFLD.
“We were able to put this matter behind us without a long-drawn-out court matter.
“We look forward to future discussions about the positive contributions Mr. Sharpe and I both make to the community.
“I wish him, his family, and his business endeavors continued success.”
The U.S. Sun has approached Sharpe for comment on the results.
LEGAL BATTLES
Tillman’s suit came after Sharpe was sued for $50 million by a woman who claimed he raped her.
Though the suit was settled out of court, the allegations ultimately led to the former tight end’s dismissal from ESPN’s hit morning show First Take.
Recently, in an episode of his podcast, Sharpe appeared to hint that he’s been struggling financially in recent months.
While chatting about Micah Parsons‘ contract standoff with the Dallas Cowboys, Sharpe lightheartedly said his co-host owes him $5,900 from last year.
First Take viewing figures
First Take went from strength to strength under the guidance of Stephen A. Smith and Molly Qerim last year.
The weekday ESPN debate show averaged 496,000 viewers in 2023 – making it the most-watched year in program history.
Its December average of 611,000 was a 24% year-on-year increase compared to 2022.
The show also reported more than 250 million views on YouTube.
First Take was helped by the addition of Shannon Sharpe alongside Smith and Qerim after he left Fox Sports’ Undisputed.
Johnson assured his friend that he hadn’t forgotten about the money and said, “Imma take care of you baby.”
Then, Sharpe admitted, “My pocket’s light right now, Ocho. Just saying, pocket’s light,” before the two bust out laughing.
The NFL star has denied all wrongdoing throughout his legal battles and continues to invest in his podcast.
Meanwhile, the hunt is on for a replacement at First Take.
