There’s been ongoing speculation about his romantic preferences, whether he leans towards men or women. Recently, there’s been a surge in scrutiny directed at him, and he’s been actively addressing these allegations. Despite being 54 and unmarried, with no public romantic affiliations, he’s often seen in the company of male companions who are known to date other men. This has fueled rumors suggesting that Shannon Sharp, also known as Mr. Sh or Shay, might indeed be living a double life, as he’s been accused of using women as cover. Surprisingly, Shannon’s sexuality wasn’t a topic of discussion until recently, as he’s always presented himself as a heterosexual man. However, it appears that he may have been engaging in relationships with men behind the scenes. While many people don’t take issue with his sexual orientation, viewing it as his personal business, the revelation has still caught many off guard, considering he was least expected to be living discreetly.
Shannon has been refuting the rumors for months, but with the emergence of new evidence, denying them will be increasingly difficult. Despite Shannon’s public relationships with women and fathering three children, many assumed he was heterosexual. Despite numerous relationships, he’s never married any of his partners, which raises eyebrows. The speculation about his sexuality gained momentum when he hired Hollywood, a prominent gay stylist. Though their relationship seemed innocent, their closeness sparked suspicion. Shannon abruptly terminated their professional association when rumors about their alleged involvement surfaced, yet he offered no explanation to his fans. The allegations intensified after his recent interview with Cat Williams.
During that interview, Cat ruthlessly criticized numerous comedians, exposing their alleged compromise for fame by selling their souls to the devil. No one was spared from his sharp tongue, not even Kevin Hart, Steve Harvey, Tyler Perry, or Cedric the Entertainer. Initially, Cat faced backlash for seemingly belittling his colleagues’ hard work with his accusations. But the spotlight soon shifted to Shannon after his explosive interview with Mo’Nique. Some began to view Shannon’s show as a platform for airing others’ dirty laundry. The comedians retaliated, with DL Hughley leading the charge, accusing Shannon of stirring up drama akin to Wendy Williams. Cory Holcomb also joined in, mocking Shannon’s persona as “Shay” and suggesting he’s hiding his true sexuality. The drama at “Club Shay” intensified, reminiscent of Wendy Williams’ notorious style. It seems like Wendy Williams never left; she simply relocated.
Hush, hush, I bet you wouldn’t answer this question. Have you ever had an intimate relationship with a man? You know what he’s going to say? What do you call it when you haven’t explicitly stated, ‘I am not a gay man’? Shannon, if you’re a man who engages with other men romantically, I still respect and care for you, brother. I might not drive you to the store, but that doesn’t change my love for you. Oh, come on, enough of this. But then there’s Mike Epps, stirring up trouble as usual, who took aim at Shannon during his stand-up routine. He mocked Shannon for his perceived femininity, dubbing him the media’s twin sister. He also alleged that Shannon had been desperate for an interview on his show, but he turned him down because he didn’t want Shannon eyeing his private parts during the interview. “Shanny Sharp tried to snag me for an interview. I said, ‘No, buddy. I’m not sitting across from you just so you can ogle at my anatomy.'” Sit down, man! He even took a jab at Cat, calling him “Sh, Shay,” suggesting he wears a wig. Now, tell me if that isn’t shady. At this point, Shannon had had enough of the nonsense and constant insinuations about his sexuality. So, he decided to fire back. He called out Mike for fabricating stories about him reaching out to be on ‘Club Shay’. Turns out, it was Mike who was eager to be on the show, not the other way around. Shannon even warned that he’d take physical action against Mike if he persisted in spreading lies about him. “Mention my name again and I’ll expose the truth. I’ll release the DMs because you’re lying. You claimed I reached out to be on ‘Club Sh, Sh’, but you’re a blatant liar. When I see you, we’ll see. We’ll see if you’re willing to stand by your words or if you’re just trying to score some cheap laughs because you got upset with Cat Williams. But mark my words, I’ll see if you’re really about that.”
“Let’s play a little game of ‘Say my name’ like Destiny’s Child, right? You know, ‘Say my name. Say my name.’ And let me share something with you. Alright? I may be a bit lost, but I’m right here with you.’ Now, despite all that, others kept taking shots at him over rumors about his sexuality. Eddie Griffin joined the fray, but unlike the rest, he didn’t beat around the bush. Griffin outright accused Shannon of being involved with other men. ‘Sh, Sh, yeah, Sh, Sh, gay, gay. I don’t give a damn if he’s gay, sitting there in those tight pants with his junk all up in Cat’s face. And remember how Cat kept avoiding eye contact? Yeah, uh, you know, um, look, uh, yeah, uh, you can tell by the way he’s drinking. He kept saying, now, now, Cat, that’s a sip. Don’t gulp it down like that. Now, now, you see?’ Once again, Shannon hit back, claiming that these comedians were scraping the barrel for material and using him as bait for attention. He acknowledged he’s a hot topic right now, but he’s not surprised they’re all trying to pin these ‘down low’ allegations on him. ‘They’ve latched onto me as the flavor of the month. But sooner or later, people will tire of this tired joke about me being gay, and they’ll have to go back to being funny. So, tell me, you guys aren’t running out of jokes, are you?’ Then, he finally addressed why he let go of his gay stylist, Hollywood. After months of evasion, he revealed it was because of loyalty to his former stylist, Shelly, not because Hollywood was gay or because of rumors about their relationship. ‘He was gay, alright? That’s his life. It’s got nothing to do with mine.'”
Hollywood and I used to be tight, but not anymore. Why? Because my loyalty lies with Shelly. He felt betrayed when, after over two decades of him being my stylist, I decided to look elsewhere for fashion advice, giving someone else the credit. Shelly was there from my days at CBS to my stint at Fox, guiding me through red carpet events flawlessly. In my mind, I thought I needed an outsider’s touch, but truthfully, everything Hollywood styled me in, from those LB jackets to every piece, was already in my closet, curated by Shelly. I just dismantled and reassembled it. It’s all a bit of a mess. And let me tell you, I’ve been battling these rumors about my personal life for a while now, and they just won’t quit. To add fuel to the fire, there’s this video circulating of me stepping out of my car, moving in a way some folks find questionable. They say it’s because of hip surgery, while others speculate about my sexuality. It’s like they’re trying to fit me into some stereotype. But hey, we’re here at the end of the day, still grinding. No excuses, just getting things done, because that’s what we signed up for. People have their opinions, but does it really matter if I’m gay or not? Some folks are fixated on it, but it’s time to move on. So what’s your take on all this? Shouldn’t we respect people’s privacy and lay off the speculation? Share your thoughts below, and check out this other video while you’re at it.