Shannon Sharpe, a three-time Super Bowl champion and one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history, has stated that his chat with comedian and actor Katt Williams on his podcast “Club Shay Shay” earned him more money than any year he played in the league.
“Everybody was talking about how much money I made doing the Katt Williams interview,” Sharpe said to his “Nightcap” podcast cohost Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson. “I just got the check. So whatever you think I made, three X it. So if you think I made 500,000, three X it. If you think I made a million, three X it. If you think I made 2 million, three X it.”
He added: “I made more money on Katt Williams alone than I made in any year that I played the NFL.”
Sharpe began his NFL career with the Denver Broncos in 1990, after being drafted from Savannah State College. In 2000, his first season with the Baltimore Ravens, he signed his largest contract ($5 million). In previous years, his profits ranged from $110,000 to $3 million, according to Complex.
His shows “Club Shay Shay” and “Nightcap” are now additional sources of revenue for the former NFL player. He is also a regular contributor to ESPN’s “First Take,” which he joined after co-hosting CBS’ “The NFL Today” with Skip Bayless from 2016 to 2023.
Sharpe’s recent interview with Williams sparked outrage due to comments Williams made regarding comedians such as Chris Rock, Kevin Hart, and Cedric the Entertainer. The interview has been watched more than 60 million times on YouTube.
Some chastised Sharpe, claiming that he did not manage the interview effectively because he was not a true journalist.
“I told you when I first started this, I said I’m going to try to bring you some of the biggest celebs, entertainers, and athletes I can bring, and I’m going to allow them to have a conversation and maybe tell you something or share something with you that they’ve never said,” Sharpe said in response to the criticism. “That was it. I never said I was a journalist. I never professed to be a journalist. I’m an entertainer.”
Watch Sharpe’s Nightcap show with Chad Johnson here: