Gabriella Zuniga is sharing what she'd like to be called following her settlement with Shannon Sharpe.
In a since-deleted Instagram post, the former OnlyFans model wore an all-black suit with the caption, “From now on, when you see me, refer to me as Gabriella Zuniga, Ma'am, or Boss.”
The post follows Zuniga filing a $50 million lawsuit against the former ESPN host for allegedly raping and sexually assaulting her at the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025. He met Zuniga in 2023 and claims they had a “rocky consensual relationship” for nearly two years.
“After many months of manipulating and controlling Plaintiff — a woman more than thirty years younger than he — and repeatedly threatening to brutally choke and violently slap her, Sharpe refused to accept the answer no and raped Plaintiff, despite her sobbing and repeated screams of ‘no,'” the complaint alleges.
Sharpe denied the allegations, but in July, they settled the lawsuit for an undisclosed amount. The Pro Baller's attorney stated that “after protracted and respectful negotiations, we have reached a mutually agreed‑upon resolution. All matters have now been addressed satisfactorily, and the matter is closed. The lawsuit will thus be dismissed with prejudice.”
Following the civil suit, Sharpe was fired from ESPN, which he took a leave of absence from in April following the impending lawsuit.
Shortly after the news broke he reacted to be letting go by the network but was annoyed at the timing as his brother, Sterling Sharpe, was being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“Obviously I'm sure everybody's heard the news by now that I will not be returning to ESPN. I found out this information a little earlier in the week, and really, the only thing that I really ask is like, guys, could we wait until Monday?”
“My brother's going into the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” he added. “I really want it to be about him, and I want it to be about my family. I know this would- I said this coming out will overshadow everything that he's worked his entire life for. And unfortunately, you know, it didn't happen that way.”
He later added that he had a good time working at the network and that he was able to present his true self.
“I really enjoyed my time at ESPN. It gave me an opportunity to bring my audience that saw me really just grow. They saw me, you know, ‘Lakers in five' and they saw me say all these funny…these analogies that my grandparents gave me, and I was able to bring that to ESPN. So I'm very, very grateful for that.”
Despite no longer working for the network, he still hosts his Club Shay Shay podcast and his Nightcap podcast with Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson.
