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On the April 24, 2025, episode of The Candace Podcast, conservative commentator Candace Owens weighed in on the unfolding civil lawsuit against former NFL star and podcast host Shannon Sharpe. Owens claimed Sharpe was on the brink of signing a $100 million podcast deal with ESPN when allegations of s*xual abuse surfaced, potentially derailing the high-stakes agreement.
"Regardless of whether you are guilty or innocent...that is going to harm your professional reputation, and your personal reputation. And that’s what happened here. He fumbled the bag no matter which way you slice it," she said.
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As per a USA Today article, dated April 24, 2025, Shannon Sharpe was embroiled in a $50 million s*xual assault and battery civil lawsuit. He was accused of r*pe by 20-year-old Instagram and OnlyF*ns model Gabriella Zuniga. Initially filed anonymously, Zuniga later revealed her identity and alleged that Sharpe s*xually assaulted her during their relationship.
In the aforementioned podcast episode, Candace Owens stated that Shannon Sharpe had allegedly offered Gabrielle Zuniga a $10 million settlement to avoid the allegations becoming public:
"Obviously, settlement talks blew up and now it's public and her team filed this in the Nevada courtroom. He is fighting this heavily," Owens added.
Owens further elaborated on why the alleged offer to Zuniga was so high, stating Sharpe was in talks to sell his podcasting network for a massive sum. She explained that Sharpe was on the "brink of a $100 million deal" that was "like Joe Rogan level".
"People were going to buy his entire podcasting network because, you know, he's been podcasting and doing all of these things. And the deal was supposedly worth $100 million... He was probably in negotiations. Who knows who it was with? Maybe it was Spotify. Maybe it was Apple,", she added.
However, at this point, Gabriella Zuniga appeared in the scene:
"And she's like, "I'm going to release all this publicly or I'm going to sue you."
Hence, Owens speculated that Shannon Sharpe had the instinctive reaction to "shut that down" because if he paid her "10 million to go away", he would still be earning "$90 million" after "signing a $100 million deal".
Candace Owens discusses the Shannon Sharpe case, says he could lose the ESPN deal because of his "morality clause"
During the aforementioned podcast episode, Candace Owens discussed the implications of the "new audio" that had come to light in the Shannon Sharpe case. This new audio included intimate conversations between Sharpe and his accuser, Gabriella Zuniga.
"I mean, you know, I think in her lawsuit, she’s now stipulating that she was 19 when she met out at the gym. He’s 54 years old. He’s speaking to her. I’m going to choke you. All this stuff—even if it was consensual, right—you are probably going to run afoul of your morality clause", Owens added.
The commentator further explained how major media contracts include strict morality clauses that can lead to termination if the talent engages in behavior deemed harmful to the company’s image.
"And yes, like I said yesterday, um he may not be a r*pist, but there’s no question that he’s immoral," Owens remarked.
She also illustrated the broader implications of morality clauses, using herself as an example:
"Your morality clause means that if you sign a deal with Candace Owens and uh Candace Owens, you know, is caught at a bar in her spare time blowing cocaine off of a bar, you have a right to fire her because it’s a bad look for your company."
According to Owens, the future of Shannon Sharpe at ESPN was also uncertain, as networks were growing weary of repeated controversies. Referring to a TMZ article dated April 24, 2025, Owens speculated Sharpe's future, stating how the 56-year-old was set to lose two of his biggest deals because of the $50 million s*xual assault and battery civil lawsuit.
"ESPN is unlikely to renew his contract if they even let him finish his contract. His podcast deal, I'm predicting, is going to completely fall through the cracks. You can't just like every couple of months have a s*x scandal. And that's where he's at. He's not living well. He's not living moral. And he's another person who needs to find God," she said.
According to the USA Today article mentioned above, at present, Shannon Sharpe has stepped down "temporarily" from his ESPN duties to devote time to his family and respond to "disruptive allegations" against him.
