Shannon Sharpe Facing $20 Million Lawsuit Two Weeks After Settling $50 Million Suit With Rape Accuser

NFL Hall of Fame legend Shannon Sharpe is facing a new legal battle.

Just weeks after settling a bombshell sexual assault lawsuit, Shannon Sharpe and his "Nightcap" podcast have been hit with another multi-million-dollar lawsuit — this time for defamation.

According to a report from The US Sun, a Chicago woman named Jimalita Tillman has filed a $20 million lawsuit against Sharpe and his "Nightcap" podcast co-host, Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson.

The suit stems from an interaction Tillman had with R&B singer Usher during one of his recent concerts that went viral on social media. The steamy clip featured Tillman and Usher sharing a passionate moment, which was broadcast on the concert's big screens.

Users immediately began sharing their thoughts about the clip on social media, including Sharpe and Johnson, who mentioned it on their podcast.

However, the podcasters also stated that Tillman was a married woman, a claim she's fiercely denied in the official legal documents.

"I was not married at the time of the fan participation moment during the Usher concert," Tillman said in the filing. "The defendants' false narratives were shared widely across their platforms, reaching millions of followers, viral spread, and refutation efforts, despite my clear and public reputation of the false narrative."

Elsewhere in the filing, Tillman claimed that she appeared on national television shows to correct Sharpe's statements, yet the "defendants continued to post the defamatory content across their social media platforms."

She further added, "Their continued dissemination of these false statements after I publicly clarified my marital status demonstrates a reckless disregard for the truth."

In a conversation with The US Sun, Tillman revealed that she has been in contact with Sharpe's legal team, which is "looking to resolve this matter quickly."

In April, the video of Tillman and Usher began going viral on TikTok. User @monochromeego shared it, and at the time of this publication, the video has garnered over 725,000 likes and been shared more than 232,000 times.

One user commented, "Aunty was too freaked out," while another wrote, "At ease, my queen."

Someone else joined in on the fun, writing, "She was ready to risk it all."

Other users poked fun at Usher, with one specific user writing, "OK, I know Usher is married, but does Usher know HE'S MARRIED?"

Over on Instagram, however, the reaction to Tillman's lawsuit was quite the opposite.

"Girl, sue Usher, [the f-ck]. He the one who had you go viral," a user posted, while another shared, "Girl, sue the person who recorded you and put you on the World Wide Web."

Someone else wrote, "So, she must be about to sue every news outlet/podcast that spoke on the video? Girl, bye."

A fourth commenter added, "Sis, if you're going to the Usher concert, you're already putting everything on the line for him to be up in your face."

They added, "If you think that's humiliation, you signed up for it. We live in times where anything you say and talk about on a public platform can end in a legal battle."

Sharpe became the subject of a $50 million lawsuit in April 2025, after a 22-year-old woman claimed the Super Bowl champion sexually assaulted her throughout the course of their relationship.

Initially, Sharpe stated that he was the victim of a "shakedown" and planned to sue his accuser and her lawyer, Tony Buzbee, for defamation. However, after months of litigation, Buzbee shared on his social media account that Sharpe and his client reached a "mutually agreed upon resolution."

Weeks later, ESPN announced that Sharpe would be let go from his job on the sports talk show "First Take."

On his show "Nightcap," Sharpe addressed his firing, revealing that the network's timing saddened him because it coincided with the week his brother, Sterling Sharpe, was being inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame.

"But I just wish ... this thing could've waited until Monday, because I hate the fact that I'm overshadowing my brother," he said.