Shannon Sharpe Made More From Katt Williams Interview Than Any NFL Season
Shannon Sharpe‘s Club Shay Shay interview with Katt Williams netted him the biggest payday of his professional career, including his time in the NFL.
According to Sharpe, speculative estimates regarding the figure he earned from his viral conversation with Williams are a far cry from what he’s actually received, and exceeds his highest-paid football season.
“Everybody was talking ’bout, ‘well how much money [he] made doing the Katt Williams interview;’ I just got the check,” the former Undisputed cohost told Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson during an episode of their Nightcap podcast.
“Put it like this here, I made more money on Katt Williams alone than I made in any year I played in the NFL.”
Football legend Shannon Sharpe attends the First Entertainment x Los Angeles Lakers and Anthony Davis Partnership Launch Event at The Theatre at Ace Hotel on March 4, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.
Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for First Entertainment
While the 55-year-old chose not to reveal the dollar amount he’s earned from the sit-down, he alludes to the total being upwards of at least $6 million. “So whatever you think I made, 3x it. So if you think I made five hundred thou, 3x it. If you think a million, 3x it. If you think I made $2 million, 3x it.”
Sharpe’s claim would align with the interview grossing more than any individual football season, as he earned an NFL career-high of $5 million in 2000 during his first season with the Baltimore Ravens. As he and Johnson discussed his recent success, Sharpe showed off a green-faced “John Mayer” Rolex he had just purchased in celebration of his big windfall.
“My pockets is a wonderland,” he jokingly sang, altering the lyrics to Mayer’s 2001 hit “Your Body Is a Wonderland.” “A lot of times, that’s what they call it,” he said of a watch being named after a celebrity. “Because he wore it and it caught fire because they saw him have it on. So they dubbed it ‘The John Mayer.’”
Shannon Sharpe speaks onstage during The Volume – Nightcap Live Show with Shannon Sharpe and Chad Ochocinco at Redtail on February 08, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for The Volume)
The three-time Super Bowl champion also discussed how efforts to mock him have resulted in him receiving branding deals with the likes of Total Wines, as a recent clip of him outside of the retail chain inspired others to mimic the video, down to Sharpe’s outfit and speech.
“Guess what happened, Ocho? Man, Total Wines hit us up, they said, ‘Well, hold on, we want some of that.’ So thanks to y’all, I’m about to be in California, Texas, Florida,” he said, while laughing.
“Louisiana, Baltimore. So keep on doing it. I need y’all to keep on doing it. Don’t you stop now. Don’t y’all hating mofos stop. Take y’all raggedy a** right back in front of them Total Wines [locations] and do it all over again. ‘Cause thanks to y’all, your boy, ooh!”
Sharpe continued to express defiance in the face of his critics and detractors, insisting that the energy directed towards him has only benefited him. “They tried to be cute…they gonna retire old Shay before he want to retire,” he said of his trolls.
After wiping his hands clean, the media sensation vowed to keep focused on maximizing his opportunities, as well as his bank account, while embracing the hate. “I’m done with it,” he said of addressing his foils. “I’m done with it, Ocho! I’ma get this paper. I’m gonna get this paper!”
Watch Shannon Sharpe speak about the success from his Katt Williams interview below.
