Shannon Sharpe Addresses Criticism Over NightCap Outburst and Tough Love for Ochocinco [Video]

Shannon Sharpe found himself under scrutiny over the weekend, and instead of responding on social media, he waited for the next episode of Nightcap to address the situation. Sharpe was preparing for his show NightCap on Saturday night with Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson. While waiting for Ochocinco, Sharpe experienced playback in his ear multiple times and seemed visibly frustrated.

He hit the table in frustration, saying, “Guys, dammit!” It is unlike Sharpe to get out of character on camera and show this side of himself. He started the show by addressing both situations, beginning with the playback issue. He clarified that it was not the production team’s fault but rather a problem with his in-studio computer, which had connected to all the sounds within the show.

“So that’s what I was hearing, playing back in my ear. So it wasn’t anything, it wasn’t like a malfunction; somehow the audio had clicked on the video that was playing,” Sharpe explained to the fans of NightCap. “So that was nothing people back in the studio were doing. That was no fault of their own. That was just something that all of a sudden happened. And it just took us a minute to figure out. We troubleshoot after we got off the show and we got it figured out, that won’t happen again.”

The second situation that bothered people was Sharpe’s reaction to Ochocinco being late due to locking his keys in the car. Ochocinco wasn’t looking for excuses; however, he wanted to explain himself to Sharpe, whom he sees as a big brother and a mentor who can help him elevate in the media space.

Sharpe noted that he knows Ochocinco wants to be on linear television like himself, and being late “won’t cut it.” He emphasized that tough love can sometimes be perceived as picking on someone, especially when combined with frustration from an earlier issue (the audio). Sharpe addressed tweets suggesting that he had become exactly what people defended him against—using his position of power to belittle someone who works with him. Sharpe insisted that this was far from the truth and emphasized his deep respect for Ochocinco, explaining that he is tough on him because he wants him to succeed.

“You tried to do with Ocho what Skip did to you, blah blah,” Sharpe mocked the tweets as he addressed the situation. “What I am going to do is push, pull, drag Ocho to a level that he didn’t think he could get to. See, I heard some of the comments: ‘Oh, Unc, you’re too serious; it’s just a little internet show, it’s a YouTube show.’ For you, that’s all you see it as, but that’s not the vision I shared with Ocho when we sat down.”

Sharpe explained that he only wants Ochocinco to understand that this is his show as much as it is Sharpe’s. They can only go as far as they can take it together, and a level of professionalism has to be displayed. Sharpe mentioned that the show grew from four people to 11, and as it grows, he wants his co-host’s brand to grow as well.

Sharpe’s approach was that of a big brother showing his little brother tough love, which was misconstrued. Sharpe did an excellent job explaining both situations, and as someone in business, this is exactly how you should address a problem—head-on and be upfront. Check out the video of Sharpe from last night below.