Jimalita Tillman, a trailblazer in the homeschooling community and arts advocacy, recently spoke candidly on The Morning Hustle about her $20 million lawsuit against Shannon Sharpe, Chad Johnson, and Shay Shay Media.
As previously reported, Tillman alleges that she was defamed by Sharpe and his Nightcap co-host Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, when they alleged that her husband was leaving her after her participation during a Usher concert.
“On April 2, 2025, I participated in a fan engagement moment at a Usher Raymond concert where I interacted with the artist as a selected audience member,” Tillman begins in her complaint, as reported by The US-Sun.
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Like many similar moments at Usher’s concerts, Tillman’s interaction went viral after fans took note of the intensity between her and the singer. But, regardless of what the internet was saying, Jimalita took issue with how Sharpe and Johnson talked about the interaction on their podcast.
During their show, they alleged that she was married and her husband left her over her viral cherry-eating moment with the singer.
“Following this event, the defendants made and disseminated false and defamatory statements suggesting that I was married and that my husband was filing for divorce due to my participation in this audience experience. I am not married, nor am I currently going through a divorce,” she explained in her lawsuit. “I was not married at the time of the fan participation moment during the Usher concert.”
Jimalita Tillman Opens Up On $20M Lawsuit In Morning Hustle Exclusive
During an exclusive with The Morning Hustle, Tillman doubled down on her decision and declared;
“This isn’t about money—it’s about holding media accountable. My integrity was trampled on, and that’s unacceptable.”
She also noted that she reached out to Sharpe’s Shay Shay Media asking them to correct their report about her, but said she was ignored.
For Sharpe, the stakes are high. His media company, Shay Shay Media, faces accusations of negligence, with Tillman asserting it failed to fact-check details that reached millions. Professionally, this marks a pivotal moment for Sharpe, who champions his show’s success on bold, unfiltered content—but now finds himself under a microscope.
With Congress set to review better regulations for media accountability, Tillman’s case could create ripples across the industry.
“This is literally David and Goliath right now, when people are thinking about it, they’re thinking Jamalita versus this man, he’s a major corporation,” said Jamalita on The Morning Hustle. “This man had media training, he is a journalist, he knows better, you should check your source, you should be able to double check what you’re saying.”
“This is bigger than me,” added Tillman. “It’s about protecting everyone.”
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