Shannon Sharpe laughed after declining any involvement in a lawsuit filed by Noushin Faraji, a former Fox Sports hairstylist, which accuses Skip Bayless — his former “Undisputed” co-host — and others of inappropriate behavior.
During Sunday’s installment of his and Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson’s “Nightcap” podcast, Sharpe answered a fan question that asked the ESPN personality to address “the elephant in the room” about his personal life because he was trending on X at the time.
The 42-page lawsuit was first reported by Front Office Sports on Sunday.
“That ain’t got nothing to do with me,” Shape said. “It doesn’t. What do y’all want me to say? That ain’t got nothing to do with me. So, there’s nothing to address. I don’t know why everybody keep — if you notice, everybody’s posting it, they got me.
“In those 42 pages, it doesn’t mention that Shannon Sharpe did anything. But yall want to get clicks, so ya’ll mention me.”
Faraji, a former Fox Sports employee with over a decade of service, does not accuse Sharpe of any wrongdoing in the lawsuit.
Sharpe is mentioned, though, in the lawsuit, in which Faraji alleges Bayless accused her of having sex with Sharpe.
“On April 13, 2022, Mr. Bayless texted Ms. Faraji: ‘Not comfortable coming down there. Just do what you need to do. It’s ok.’ Ms. Faraji asked him what was wrong. He replied: ‘Same stuff. Worse.’ Ms. Faraji, concerned about her own job, walked to Mr. Bayless’s fitting room to see if everything was okay. Mr. Bayless answered the door, and before Ms. Faraji could speak, he began to angrily accuse Ms. Faraji of “f***ing” Mr. Sharpe.
“Ms. Faraji tried to explain that she did not have any feelings towards Mr. Sharpe and had never slept with him or any other talent member or employee at Fox, but before she could speak, Mr. Bayless demanded she come to his car after the show. Ms. Faraji responded that she could not come sit in his car as it was inappropriate. Mr. Bayless grew irate and then left.”
The lawsuit states that during a phone call between Bayless and Faraji on April 16, 2022: “Mr. Bayless then angrily stated that he heard her talk to Mr. Sharpe about her ‘vagina.’ Ms. Faraji knew this to be untrue and was embarrassed and angry. Ms.Faraji responded that even if she had been dating Mr. Sharpe, which she wasn’t, it shouldn’t matter at all because she only had a professional relationship with Mr. Bayless.”
In the lawsuit, Faraji alleges that Bayless learned her and Sharpe had never been romantically involved in late August 2023 and Bayless apologized to her.
Faraji also alleges Charlie Dixon — an Executive Vice President of Content for FS1, who is also a defenendary in the lawsuit — told Bayless that she and Sharpe were sleeping together.
“During this conversation, Mr. Bayless apologized for accusing her of having sex with Mr. Sharpe, disclosed details regarding his August 21, 2023 meeting with Human Resources, and further disclosed that Mr. Dixon wants Ms. Faraji fired because she knew too much and was talking,” the lawsuit states.
“On December 21, 2023, Mr. Bayless told Ms. Faraji that he still loved her and confided that Mr. Dixon was the one who had told him that Ms. Faraji was sleeping with Mr. Sharpe. Mr.Bayless then again tried to have sex with Ms. Faraji.”
Bayless and Sharpe joined forces on “Undisputed” after Bayless left ESPN’s “First Take” in 2016, following four years of debating with Stephen A. Smith.
Sharpe left the show in June 2023 following multiple blowups with Bayless both on and off camera.
Fox Sports and Sharpe reached a buyout agreement and he joined ESPN in September 2023.
The lawsuit states “Faraji was forced to endure a misogynistic, racist, and ableist workplace where executives and talent were allowed to physically and verbally abuse workers with impunity,” during her tenure at Fox Sports.
Faraji alleges Bayless offered her $1.5 million to have sex in July 2021, and that she endured unwelcome physical contact and sexual advances by Bayless for years.She alleges that when she and others came forward to report the wrongdoing, Fox retaliated against them, while the accused were protected and inexplicably promoted.
