What happened between Shannon Sharpe and Nicki Minaj? Feud explained as the former apologizes to rapper 

What happened between Shannon Sharpe and Nicki Minaj? Feud explained as former apologizes to rapper  (Ijmage via Getty)
What happened between Shannon Sharpe and Nicki Minaj? (Image via Getty)

A confrontation between former NFL star-turned-sports announcer Shannon Sharpe and rapper Nicki Minaj has been ignited on the internet by fans. It began when Sharpe threw an offhanded comment about an episode during his show, which was mentioned in the verse of a song by Minaj. This prompted a rapid-fire shot, which could have ended up being a feud but later came to a stop after the misunderstanding was clarified and an apology made.

In one of her songs, Nicki Minaj released a remix of a Lil Wayne song, where she appeared to take a shot at Shannon Sharpe. The line was seen as a response to an earlier comment by Sharpe, who was said to be referring to the rapper. The fans of Minaj, also known as the Barbs, reacted strongly on the internet.

Sharpe subsequently responded, elucidating his point about the problem. He apologized to Minaj and also to her fans, stating that the whole affair was due to a misunderstanding. Since then, Minaj accepted the apology, and both appeared willing to move on.


What did Shannon Sharpe say that caused the issue?

The situation started when Shannon Sharpe made a comment during one of his podcast episodes. A fan asked if Nicki Minaj would ever be a guest on his show, Club Shay Shay. In response, Sharpe said, “Nicki who?” This comment was recorded and shared online.

Many fans thought Sharpe was insulting Minaj or acting like he didn’t know who she was. Some felt it was disrespectful because Nicki Minaj is a major artist with a large fanbase. This led to the criticism of Sharpe, especially from Minaj’s supporters.

Sharpe later explained that he was not talking about Nicki Minaj. He said the comment was about Nikki Haley, a political figure, not the rapper. He claimed that he had been involved in discussions about Haley at that time and was confused by the name in the moment.

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How did Nicki Minaj respond to the comment?

Nicki Minaj addressed the situation in her music. She included a line in her verse on the Banned From NO (Remix) that appeared to be aimed at Sharpe. In the song, she rapped:

“’Bout to cop you slides, all you do is flip-flop / If I send a pic of Shannon, you ain’t that Sharpe.”

Fans quickly noticed the wordplay and connected it to Sharpe.

The lyric spread online, and many believed it was a direct response to the earlier “Nicki who?” comment. The timing and choice of words made the message seem clear to listeners. This led to more talk on social media, and people began choosing sides.

Minaj did not speak about the comment directly in interviews at first. But her choice to include the line in a popular song showed that she had taken note of Sharpe’s earlier statement. It also made fans wonder whether the rapper and the former athlete would keep going back and forth in public.

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What did Shannon Sharpe do to make things right?

After the song was released and the line about him became a topic online, Shannon Sharpe decided to explain his side. He used another podcast, Nightcap, to talk about what had happened. He said that he was not talking about Nicki Minaj when he said “Nicki who?” and that it was an honest mistake.

Shannon Sharpe said he had been discussing Nikki Haley at the time and thought the question was about the politician. Once he realized how people had taken it, he issued a clear apology.

He said, “Nicki, I apologize. I meant no disrespect. Of course, I know who you are. You’ll always have an open invitation if you ever want to come sit down and have a conversation. Even if you just want to have a private conversation on the phone or something. It won’t go any further between you and I.”

He also addressed Minaj’s fans, the Barbs. He said he understood why they were upset and respected their support for the rapper. This helped calm things down online. Minaj later responded with a lighthearted post, and it became clear that she accepted his apology.

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The issue between Shannon Sharpe and Nicki Minaj started from a simple case of mistaken identity. What seemed like a public insult turned out to be a misunderstanding. Minaj responded with a line in her song, and Sharpe followed up with an explanation and apology. The rapper accepted the apology, and both sides moved on without further conflict.

Edited by Deebakar