"Who's his replacement?": Joe Budden saying ESPN would never fire Shannon Sharpe goes viral after the network parts ways with the sports commentator

Joe Budden seems to have been proven wrong about his prediction regarding Shannon Sharpe. Recently, ESPN cut ties with Sharpe, and he has not been seen on the network since April 2025. According to NBC News, the decision not to appear on ESPN was Shannon Sharpe’s.

Meanwhile, during a recent episode of his podcast, Budden claimed that ESPN would never let go of Sharpe.

He said if Disney were like what it used to be before, Sharpe would have been fired. However, with the new way of carrying out operations, Joe Budden said Sharpe held an important position. He added:

“Who’s his replacement? You all gotta go build one and it ain’t another one.”

Joe Budden said Shannon Sharpe was good at his show, mentioning:

“He’s an A on anything that he does away from the network.”

According to The Athletic, the news of ESPN severing ties with Shannon Sharpe comes weeks after he settled a lawsuit with a former partner, who claimed she was r*ped by him.

He had previously denied the allegations and alleged that the relationship between them was based on consensual ties. They met in 2023 and had a relationship for over two years. On July 18, the accuser’s attorney, Tony Buzbee, shared a statement, saying:

“After protracted and respectful negotiations, I’m pleased to announce that we have reached a mutually agreed upon resolution. All matters have now been addressed satisfactorily, and the matter is closed. The lawsuit will thus be dismissed with prejudice.”

On a recent episode of his Nightcap podcast, Shannon Sharpe addressed the news about ESPN, saying he had learned the news earlier that week. He asked people to wait until Monday to talk about it because his brother was getting into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and he didn’t want the news about his job to take attention away from his brother’s big moment.

Joe Budden said Shannon Sharpe’s life must have changed after the lawsuit

On the July 27 episode of Joe Budden’s podcast, he addressed the lawsuit. Budden claimed that the woman should be in jail. The woman claimed $50 million through the lawsuit. Although it’s dismissed, the terms of the settlement are not clear. Meanwhile, Joe Budden said:

“I'm not looking at the payment as justice. I look at the payment as a shakeddown. And if there was a way for you to come to an understanding that this was tumultuous, then it means that existed when you were saying that I was r*ping you.”

Joe Budden shared that he believed serious crimes like r*pe should always be treated as real crimes, not just brought up when it's convenient. He said it might sound harsh, but he felt that sometimes people didn't treat it seriously.

He also said he felt deeply for victims because it was terrifying to trust someone stronger who then hurt you. He hoped that people understood how serious it was and mentioned that no matter what, Shannon Sharpe’s life would never be the same again. He also said she might quietly return to a normal, private life.

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