Shannon Sharpe Accused Of Promoting Grooming & Sexual Abuse With Ray J Interview

Ray J recently sat down with Shannon Sharpe for the ex-NFL player’s Club Shay Shay podcast. One part of the conversation included Ray reflecting on his early sexual experiences.

The official Club Shay Shay social media accounts shared a clip of Ray J talking about “dating” older women as a teenager. Shannon Sharpe questioned the now-43-year-old entertainer about those encounters.  

“Was it the allure of an older woman, it was the fact that somebody was like 15, 20, 30 years older than you? What was your attraction?” Sharpe asked. 

Ray J admitted to being with a 34-year-old woman when he was only 14 years old. Shannon Sharpe then laughed as Ray recalled an adult woman bathing him at the time.

In response, journalist Ernest Owens blasted Shannon Sharpe for promoting that segment. Owens accused the First Take commentator of trivializing the sexual assault of a minor.

“I’ll say this and move on, but I seriously can’t stand to watch or hear another thing about this Club Shay Shay show again,” Ernest Owens tweeted.

He also wrote, “Shannon Sharpe doesn’t address this with concern, and instead marketed this clip on the show’s Instagram as ‘dating older women – Ray J shares his experience.’ A 14-year-old isn’t ‘dating’ a 30-year-old. It’s called grooming. It’s called molestation. It’s called sexual abuse.” 

The topic of sexual assault against men and boys generated other headlines in recent days. For example, footage of streamer TyTy James’s sister groping Power actor Michael Rainey Jr. during a livestream sparked online outrage.