Shannon Sharpe Distances Himself From Skip Bayless’ Fox Sports Misconduct Lawsuit

Shannon Sharpe has broken his silence regarding an explosive lawsuit filed by a former Fox Sports hairstylist.

On Sunday (Jan. 5), Sharpe and his Nightcap co-host, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, were streaming live on YouTube when Front Office Sports released news that Noushin Faraji, a former Fox Sports employee, filed her suit against his ex-employer.

Faraji’s suit claims that high-profile figures on the network, such as Skip Bayless, are guilty of nonconsensual physical and sexual advances and were looking to pay $1.5 million in exchange for sex. However, the shocking lawsuit doesn’t mention Sharpe in a negative light.

In fact, the only mention of the Hall of Fame athlete is a recollection by Faraji, in which she recalls Skip Bayless accusing her of sleeping with Sharpe. The former Denver Bronco caught wind of the suit and reacted to the news, asserting, “That has nothing to do with me. There’s nothing to address. In those 42 pages, it doesn’t mention that Shannon Sharpe did anything. But you all want to get clicks, so you mention me.”

Shannon Sharpe worked on FS1 alongside Skip Bayless on Undisputed for seven years, with Joy Taylor serving as the show’s moderator. Throughout the show’s history, Sharpe and Bayless often butted heads, leading to the podcaster eventually calling it quits and departing in 2023. Shannon ultimately landed on his feet at ESPN, working on First Take with Stephen A. Smith and Molly Qerim.

During his time on First Take, Sharpe seldom addressed his former coworker, Skip, and the reason for his departure, but he did say a word or two about him on The Stephen A. Smith Show in September 2023.

“You can say I’m loud, you can say I’m obnoxious, you can say I’m arrogant. But to try to poo-poo my career, a seventh-rounder that started out on special teams and played so well that I got into the Hall of Fame. To try to minimize that was disheartening for me,” Sharpe said about Skip Bayless at the time. “I considered Skip a friend. For you to take that kind of personal shot at me, it really hurt me.”

Elsewhere in the lawsuit, Faraji claims Fox Sports EVP Charlie Dixon grabbed her butt without consent during a birthday party in West Hollywood. She told her then-friend, Joy Taylor, about the unpleasant encounter, to which the journalist allegedly told her “to get over it.”

Additionally, Faraji details how Taylor allegedly slept with Dixon to secure a hosting position on Undisputed in 2016. The hairstylist also claims that Taylor was “romantically involved” with FS pundit Emmanuel Acho, who worked on Speak. Taylor allegedly told Faraji that she was hoping that Acho could recommend her for the new show in 2020, and Faraji told her it was “dangerous” to sleep with Acho and Dixon simultaneously. The suit claims Joy Taylor assured Faraji that she had power now, and when Dixon was “no longer useful to her,” she would claim he “forced himself on her” to get him ousted.

Watch the video above and read the lawsuit above.