Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson first rose to fame as a star football player at Oregon State. His talent on the field caught the attention of the Cincinnati Bengals, who picked him up in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. But while his skills were undeniable, Chad’s personal life would end up grabbing more headlines than his football career. His short, rocky marriage to reality TV star Evelyn Lozada ended in a messy breakup after an arrest for domestic violence, ultimately bringing his NFL career to a halt.
These days, the spotlight on Chad has shifted even more toward his personal life, particularly his relationship with Sharelle Rosado, a realtor and star of Selling Tampa. Sharelle, who many thought bore a striking resemblance to Lozada, initially seemed to be the perfect match for Chad. But as time went on, it became clear that their relationship wasn’t as flawless as it appeared.
To really understand the complexity of Chad’s romantic life, it helps to rewind a bit. Back in 1998, he welcomed his first daughter, Jakyra. In 2002, his son Chad II was born, followed by his daughter Cha’iel in 2003, his daughter Shel in 2005, and his son Savy in 2010. That same year, he starred in his own VH1 dating show, Ochocinco: The Ultimate Catch. The show faced backlash when he selected only two Black women to compete, which stirred up controversy. Chad defended his choices, explaining that he valued diversity and that he wasn’t only interested in looks. He wanted someone with substance, someone who could match his big personality and keep up with his lifestyle.
For those who thought he just wanted to play the field forever, Chad claimed he was looking for a serious partner. But even then, he surprised everyone by tweeting about his new relationship with Basketball Wives star Evelyn Lozada before his dating show even ended. The two got married in July 2012, only to divorce just two months later. Their whirlwind romance was over almost as quickly as it began, leaving yet another chapter in Chad’s very public love life.
In 2015, Chad and his then-girlfriend, Crystal Bates, welcomed a daughter. Then in 2016, a paternity test confirmed he had fathered another child with a woman named Alexia. By this time, Chad was a father to seven children, yet the only woman he had ever married wasn’t the mother of any of them. People started speculating about his commitment issues, and during a 2016 interview with Sports Illustrated, he seemed to fuel the gossip. He said monogamy felt repetitive, comparing it to cooking the same meal over and over: “There’s only so many ways to prepare that meal and season it; at some point, you get tired of that meal.”
Around this time, Sharelle, a mother of three from previous relationships, happened to spot Chad at a track meet that both her daughter and one of his daughters were attending. Sharelle later told Us Weekly that she’d had a crush on him for years—he was her favorite athlete and, in her words, her ideal type. She decided to be bold and make the first move. While some people might think a woman being the pursuer could be a red flag, Sharelle didn’t hold back. She responded to one of Chad’s Instagram stories with heart-eye emojis, and he replied almost immediately. They swapped numbers, started chatting, and even FaceTimed, building a strong connection. But after a while, they lost touch.
In 2020, they reconnected, with some reports suggesting it was in January. There was one issue, though: Sharelle was still married to her ex, John Tice Robinson, the father of her youngest son. Even so, she went out with Chad, and their first date was anything but fancy. He took her to McDonald’s, and afterward, he jokingly suggested they head to a $30 room at the Executive Palace, saying, “I ain’t really trying to spend no money like that. What you trying to do?” They ended up at a Budget Motel, where their connection deepened.
During an episode of The Night Cap podcast with Chad and Shannon Sharpe, Chad made it clear he prefers to take the fast lane when it comes to romance. He said, “I ain’t got time to be going on three dates; I ain’t got time to be [following] no 90-day rule—I ain’t got time for that.” On her own podcast, Humble B.D., Sharelle opened up about how she grew emotionally and physically attached to Chad after she had already mentally checked out of her marriage. She revealed that her marriage was in serious trouble because her husband allegedly cheated on her with one of her friends. When she admitted to being a “cheater, cheater, pumpkin eater,” it raised eyebrows online, with many wondering if she might do the same to Chad. One user pointed out, “The red flags—ooh, you don’t have to touch a fire to see that it’s hot.” Others joked that Chad and Sharelle were “two peas in a pod,” given Chad’s own history of infidelity. Because of all this, many people were skeptical about how long their romance would last.
John Tice filed for divorce in August 2020, and just three months later, Chad and Sharelle went public with their relationship. In a November 2020 episode of the I Am Athlete podcast, Chad claimed that Sharelle was different from anyone else he had dated, insisting she was “the one.” But could this so-called “serial baby daddy” really be ready to settle down with someone who openly called herself a cheater? During the same podcast, Chad admitted that video games came before any woman, and sometimes even before his kids, since gaming was how he paid the bills. Still, he acknowledged that a woman was special if she called him during a game and he paused just to talk to her.
Even though Sharelle lived in Tampa and Chad resided in Miami, she shared that they made it a point to see each other every three days. And even when he wasn’t with her, Chad made sure she felt special by surprising her with a Chanel bag whenever she closed on a new real estate deal. They were in the midst of figuring out where to settle down, having started to build a house in Miami, with Sharelle planning to travel back and forth for now.
Not everyone was on board with this new relationship, given Chad’s rocky history. However, Sharelle defended him in an interview with Page Six, saying she believed Chad was a great person. She explained, “People go through things, people make mistakes, and you learn from them. If you judge people based on their past mistakes, you won’t get very far in life. Nobody is perfect.” She went on to call him a great father, a wonderful person, and her soulmate.
In January 2021, Sharelle shared that they were engaged after a year of dating, but there was a catch—her divorce from John Tice still wasn’t finalized. Interestingly, it seemed like Chad wasn’t taking their engagement too seriously. Just a month later, he appeared on the Bussin’ It with the Boys podcast, saying he preferred dating women with athletic backgrounds rather than models. He also mentioned how much he enjoyed raising his seven kids with six different women, which was a pretty odd thing to say for someone who had just gotten engaged.
Charelle’s divorce was finalized in June 2021, but her choice to have an affair definitely added some tension to her co-parenting situation with her ex. She shared, “It really affects a lot. We don’t communicate at all. I even got my son a phone just so we could talk.”
That summer, she started filming the Netflix reality show Selling Tampa, which spotlighted her company, Allure Realty—a unique all-Black, all-female real estate firm in Florida. While she was excited about her new show, she also discovered that she and Chad were expecting a baby girl. In January 2022, she gave birth to her fourth child and Chad’s eighth. Charelle told Page Six, “Our hearts are full, and our family is complete.”
After the baby arrived, Charelle jumped back into her work as a realtor and reality star. Meanwhile, Chad tweeted, “I manifested the life I’ve always dreamed of, and that’s becoming a stay-at-home dad.” Fast forward a year, and the couple got engaged again. Interestingly, their January 2021 engagement that Charelle announced wasn’t officially recognized, raising eyebrows and prompting people to wonder who would fake an engagement complete with rings. This definitely made some people look at Charelle differently. Regardless, Chad surprised her with a gorgeous 7.5-carat engagement ring, and she said yes.
As 2024 rolled around, everyone was buzzing about their upcoming wedding, especially since Chad revealed they planned to tie the knot in the Bahamas. But during a June 2024 episode of the Nightcap podcast, he opened up about some issues at home, saying, “She really… she talks to me crazy, like raises her voice at me. It’s always… it’s like, because she’s the breadwinner, she talks to me any kind of way.” People were left wondering if he was joking or if he was being serious.
Then, just four months later, Charelle took to Twitter to set the record straight about their relationship, saying, “Chad and I are no longer together. Please stop tagging us. He is a free man, ladies. We don’t want him, girl.”
It seems Chad is still hoping for a reconciliation, but he mentioned that Charelle had him blocked. While some fans are holding out hope that they’ll work things out, many aren’t surprised to see their relationship unravel so publicly.