Mike Epps didn’t dodge the tension when he finally sat down with Shannon Sharpe.
Instead, the comedian addressed their past back-and-forth head-on, making it clear that while words were exchanged, violence was never the goal.
“I don’t do no fighting,” Epps said during his appearance on Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast. “I know you’re a football player, but I ain’t turning down no fade. If it went there, it went there.”
He added with a laugh that if things had escalated, “I wasn’t gonna fight your big ass, man,” suggesting the situation never needed to reach that point.
Sharpe, for his part, leaned into humor when revisiting the disagreement, joking, “You had me on swoll. I was gonna whip you.”
The meeting marked the first public sit-down since their social media sparring ahead of 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend.
The friction started last year when Epps posted that he’d be in Indianapolis—his hometown—during All-Star Weekend and suggested he and Sharpe would cross paths. The post raised eyebrows, especially with Epps adding that if you don’t fight, “there’s only one other option.”
Both men were highly visible that weekend, with Epps serving as an emcee at a fan event and Sharpe coaching in the Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game.
Ultimately, the conversation landed on a broader point about responsibility and example. “We got a chance to show these little youngsters out here that it ain’t always gotta end in violence,” Epps said. “At the end of the day, we’re still all Black men. We’re still examples in front of millions.”
Sharpe echoed the sentiment, saying disagreements don’t require proving “how macho” someone is, adding, “Let’s go ahead and get this money.”
Beyond the resolved beef, the two covered a lot of ground. Epps spoke about feeling slighted during last year’s viral Katt Williams interview run, reflected on working with Ice Cube, Eddie Murphy, and Whitney Houston, and shared updates on his current slate.
He confirmed that the next Friday installment is actively being written with Ice Cube, Aaron McGruder, and DJ Pooh, and said fans should expect it around 2027. “It might not come to an end,” Epps said, when asked if the latest installment would be the last.
Epps also touched on Chris Tucker’s long-rumored feelings about Next Friday, named Talk to Me as his favorite role, expressed frustration over delays on a Richard Pryor biopic, and teased the final season of The Upshaws, which premieres January 15 on Netflix.