Shannon Sharpe is facing a $20 million lawsuit from a woman who claims she was the subject of “false and defamatory statements” in connection with a viral Usher video.
According to court documents reviewed by Complex, Jimalita Tillman is suing the former ESPN pundit and other defendants—including Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson, Christian Dear, and Sharpe's company Shay Shay Media—for having “made and disseminated false and defamatory statements suggesting that I was married and that my husband was filing for divorce” due to her appearance in a viral Usher clip circa April of this year.
According to Tillman, she is “not married” and is not “currently going through a divorce.” Furthermore, Tillman writes in court docs viewed by Complex, she was “not married at the time of the fan participation moment during the Usher concert.”
Tillman is suing for $20 million in damages in a defamation suit, alleging that the podcast hosts knowingly propagated a false narrative about her marital status on their podcast. The suit was initially filed in Cook County, Illinois, but was quickly placed at the center of a dispute over jurisdiction.
Tillman called Sharpe and Ochocinco's comments a "false narrative" that was shared "widely across their platforms, reaching millions of followers." She also claimed she "made numerous efforts to contact the defendants to request the removal of this false narrative, but these requests were disregarded."
Tillman went viral after a steamy moment with Usher at his concert sparked rumors—fueled by social media—that her husband filed for divorce. However, in media appearances following the show, Tillman claimed she wasn't married.
Tillman further argues that the defendants persisted in sharing “defamatory content” about her, which she says caused her emotional distress and damaged her reputation, as well as “adversely affected her personal and professional relationships.”
Also mentioned in the docs is a WGN-TV appearance from Tillman in which she clarified that the social media claims surrounding the video were “completely false.”
Complex has reached out to an IG account associated with Tillman, as well as to a legal rep for Sharpe. This story may be updated.
News of Sharpe's latest lawsuit comes after reports earlier this week that the media personality was fired by ESPN following the settlement of a separate $50 million rape lawsuit.
Since then, Sharpe has spoken out about the firing, saying he apologized to his brother, Sterling Sharpe, for the news "overshadowing" Sterling's Pro Football Hall of Fame announcement this week.
Meek Mill also chimed in on the matter, commenting under a report about Sharpe's abrupt ESPN exit, "Y’all too old to be getting fired."