Good news for Shannon Sharpe … the viral video of his Wednesday afternoon romp won’t affect his day job — as TMZ Sports has learned ESPN isn’t going to discipline its star for his accidental sex stream.
A source at the network tells us … Sharpe’s absence from Thursday’s “First Take” had nothing to do with what went down on his Instagram some 24 hours ago — as his usual days off are Thursdays and Fridays.
The source says Sharpe is expected back on Monday — and no punishment whatsoever is coming his way.
Sharpe, who’s been with ESPN since 2023, just recently signed a contract extension to stay with the network — agreeing back in June to continue debating Stephen A. Smith on “First Take” for the foreseeable future.
As for Sharpe’s stance on the whole X-rated scene … his Instagram account initially claimed he was hacked — although on his “Nightcap” show on Wednesday evening, he fessed up to it actually being him.
He chalked the whole issue up to not being very tech-savvy — and he said he was “embarrassed” for it.
He added that he’s “disappointed” in himself for how the aftermath of it all affected people in his circle — although he was at least ultimately able to share a few laughs with his co-host, Chad Johnson.