Overview

Shannon Sharpe Gabby Zuniga Lawsuit refers to memes and discussions about a civil lawsuit filed by an anonymous Jane Doe and her lawyer Tony Buzbee in Nevada in late April 2025, accusing former NFL star and sports commentator Shannon Sharpe of being sexually violent and using his fame to control her.

The lawsuit also alleges that Sharpe recorded a sexual encounter without her consent and mentions the 2024 Shannon Sharpe IG Live Incident. Sharpe issued a statement written by his lawyer, Lanny Davis, supposedly showing transcripts of text messages between him and Jane Doe, whom he identifies as Gabriella Zuniga, also known as OnlyFans model "Karli." Several internet users reacted to the texts, mocking Sharpe for being "freaky" and for dating someone over 30 years his junior. The incident also prompted Dr Umar to put out a statement in support of Sharpe.

Background

On April 21st, 2025, an anonymous woman filed a $50 million civil lawsuit in Nevada against NFL Hall of Famer and ESPN commentator Shannon Sharpe, alleging sexual violence, emotional harm and unauthorized recording of sexual encounters during their nearly two-year relationship.

The plaintiff, over 30 years younger than Sharpe, claimed he exerted manipulative control, including threats and physical violence, notably after a 2024 incident in which Sharpe inadvertently broadcasted a sex act on Instagram Live. TMZ broke the news story^[1] and shared it on the publication's Twitter / X^[2] account on April 21st, gathering over 2,000 likes in two days.

On April 22nd, TMZ published a 1:36-minute audio clip sent to them by Jane Doe's lawyer Tony Buzbee^[3] in which Sharpe can be heard saying that he's going to "choke the shit out of her." TMZ Sports' official X^[4] account shared the audio on Twitter that day, gathering over 800 likes in a day.

The woman accusing #ShannonSharpe of r*pe has now released audio of a conversation she says she had with him … and in it, Sharpe can be heard telling her he's "going to f***ing choke the s*** out" of her. Read the full #exclusive story: https://t.co/SFHeYGx3rF pic.twitter.com/Hj9lh3Xe8R

— TMZ Sports (@TMZ_Sports) April 22, 2025

Developments

On April 21st, 2025, Sharpe's attorney, Lanny Davis, dismissed the allegations as a "shakedown," asserting the relationship was consensual and involved role-playing.

Sharpe then shared a statement that day written by Davis, supposedly sharing transcripts of texts supporting this claim between him and his accuser, whom he identifies as Gabriella Zuniga, to Instagram^[5] and Twitter / X,^[6] gathering over 100,000 likes and 58,000 likes, respectively, in two days.

On April 22nd, Sharpe released a video statement on Instagram^[7] reiterating his assertion that the lawsuit against him is an unfounded "shake-down" orchestrated by lawyer Tony Buzbee and that he has every intention of filing a counter-lawsuit to clear his name.

Sharpe also called for Buzbee to release the entirety of the audio he leaked, saying that an unedited clip would clear his name. Sharpe also gave more details about the woman named "Gabby," saying that she goes by "Karli" on OnlyFans. The post gathered over 200,000 likes in a day.

Online Reactions

Several internet users reacted to the explicit message transcripts shared by Shannon Sharpe, with X^[8] user @anthaony sharing a clip showing actors Shawn Wayans and Regina in a scene from Scary Movie 2 on April 21st, 2025. The post gathered over 3,000 likes in two days.

How Gabriella Zuniga was talking Shannon Sharpe during the deed: https://t.co/20HlvEmEss pic.twitter.com/wMacpbWJt3

— Anthony Maruwa (@anthaony) April 21, 2025

Several internet users began hunting for who Gabriella Zuniga is after Shannon Sharpe named her in his statement. For example, on April 21st, X^[9] user @SimStrength tweeted, "Got me searching 'Gabriella Zuniga' on Ig," gathering over 18,000 likes in two days.

After Shannon Sharpe identified Gabby as an OnlyFans model who goes by Karli on April 22nd, several internet users and media pages began speculating about her identity. For instance, X^[10] user @Damarrus posted a screenshot of Instagram user @sheiskarli's account on the 22nd and gathered over 2,000 likes in a day.

Also on April 22nd, Dr Umar posted and subsequently removed a video expressing his support for Shannon Sharpe on the condition that he stops sleeping with Snow Bunnies. The video was reposted to X^[11] by @Zikamnyamane.

Dr Umar, on Shannon Sharpe 🤧😭😂😂 pic.twitter.com/Tx3lO1NxSU

— Mnyamani 📽 (@Zikamnyamane) April 22, 2025

Several internet users also criticized Shannon Sharpe for sleeping with a woman 30 years younger than him. On April 22nd, 2025, X^[12] user @the_alisa_renee wrote, "A 'shakedown' from a 21-year-old OF model he met two years ago when she was 19 and he was 54, mind you. Shannon should be embarrassed and ashamed," gathering over 5,000 likes in a day.

Search Interest

External References