Stephen A. Smith doesn’t think it’s a coincidence that multiple lawsuits have been filed against Shannon Sharpe after his viral interviews with Katt Williams, Mo’Nique, and more.

The sports television personality sat down for an interview with radio host Big Boy, where he addressed the ongoing sexual assault lawsuit filed against Sharpe. Despite all of the backlash, Smith is standing behind his First Take co-host, insisting there’s a reason these allegations came to light when they did.

“People have been after him since he did Katt Williams,” Smith said, referring to Sharpe’s viral interview, which currently sits at 89 million views on Youtube. “They’ve been at his neck because of the numbers he produced and the success that it had and how he was able to ride that wave.”

Though he acknowledged that public discussion of the lawsuit is inevitable, Smith still criticized how some critics throughout the media world have contributed to the conversation.

“I’m not talking about what people are talking about and what they have to talk about, I’m talking about the zest with which they do it,” he explained. “You see a joy that some people are having in going at him and that’s sad. You can talk about it, but we know the difference, in terms of the flavor that you’re bringing to an equation where you’re talking about somebody with glee and joy in your voice when you’re talking about the kind of predicament they’re in. And that’s what I’ve got a problem with.”

Smith continued by speaking on the effect this is having on First Take, saying: “To see the great things that he has been doing and to know the potential is out there for all of this to be derailed, I’m incredibly sad for him. I’m sad for us as a show ’cause we’re better with him than without him, but right now, it’s about him getting his house in order and doing what he can to get past all of this.”

Shannon Sharpe has been accused of assault, sexual assault, battery, and sexual battery by a woman who filed a lawsuit as Jane Doe. The accuser claims she was subjected to repeated sexual assault and manipulation by Sharpe beginning in 2023, when she was 19 years old.

As for whether or not Smith thinks the events described in the lawsuit really happened, he wouldn’t say, though he did assert that the relationship “seemed consensual” to him.

“None of us really know, and it would be really irresponsible to get into the minutiae of it all because we just don’t know,’ Smith began. “But in the end, when you see the details that both parties let out, it certainly seemed consensual to me. But I’m not the courts. I’m not whatever. So I can’t really touch it because I’m certainly not trying to get sued.”

See Stephen A. Smith’s comments in full during his interview with Big Boy up above.

The post Stephen A. Smith Claims Shannon Sharpe Was Targeted In Sexual Assault Lawsuit: ‘People Have Been After Him Since He Did Katt Williams’ appeared first on Bossip.