Shannon Sharpe Takes On Ochocinco’s Relationship Drama Following Backlash from Ex Over Alleged Cheating

It looks like Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson and Sharelle Rosado won’t make it down the aisle as the “Selling Tampa” star recently announced the two have officially ended their engagement.

On Oct. 24, Rosado announced their split in a candid post on X with a post stating, “Chad and I are no longer together please stop tagging us. He is a free man ladies” 

Her statement clearly indicated she was not only done with the relationship but eager to move on, and social media jumped at the chance to offer its theories and opinions behind the abrupt breakup.

Several stated that Johnson “fumbled” the reality television star or questioned, “How did he mess it up?”

One follower responded to the breakup news, saying, “I can’t blame” the former Cincinnati Bengal while sharing a picture of Johnson with sports journalist Taylor Rooks, alluding to something going on between the two.

I can’t blame em 🤷🏾‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/brhvayKAc4

— Ray Jackson (@RayJack97010720) October 26, 2024

As expected, a few comments alerted Rosado, 33, about the flooded DMs she was soon to experience now that she was back on the market. While she apparently didn’t take any of the men up on their offers, she did take the time to warn a female follower, who thanked Rosado for the heads-up on her ex being up for grabs.

“Thanks sis! I will kindly slide in his DM’s,” they wrote.

Rosado replied to the overzealous fan, “lol hope you don’t catch nothing sis,” leading fans to think the split was over Johnson being unfaithful.

The former NFL star was quiet about the split until hours later when he replied to Rosado’s tweet with a funny gif from the hit show “Arrested Development,” showing the character George Michael walking with his head down.

“Damn,” Johnson stated on a recent episode of “Nightcap” last weekend after news about the breakup went viral. Shannon Sharpe advised his friend and co-host to work it out with Rosado.

“I can’t. I’m just saying I’m blocked,” Johnson explained. “I don’t know what to do.”

Sharpe then praised him for being a “wise man,” adding that if Rosado never said ‘Don’t call me anymore’ then he still might have a chance to fix things with her.

“Why don’t you do me a favor? Why don’t you be the moderator?” Johnson asked, which sent Sharpe into laughter.

“Give it a day or two, let her calm down. It’s fresh, it’s really fresh. But both of you need to stay offline,” Sharpe continued, “Next time if this thing is to be repaired, keep it off online.”

Johnson confessed, “It wasn’t me. Yeah, you didn’t have to be so public, and you might be watching,” he continued into the camera, speaking directly to Rosado.

At one point, a frustrated Johnson even told Sharpe, “No more comments about relationships. Not right now…I’m in the doghouse right now.”

“It’s gone take the hand of God to come down here and fix that,” he added.

Fans of the couple expressed their shock about the breakup and urged the two to work it out.

“Dog house means she ain’t all the way gone.. hopefully they can work it out,” said one person, while another wrote, “What you do Chad???”

A few pointed to Johnson’s wearing big shades during the episode to hide the fact that he was nearly in tears, including one who said, “Sometimes you gotta smile ya hurt away. boy prolly ain’t eat since.”

Assuming infidelity played a part in ending their engagement, one individual added, “‘Hand of God to fix that’ oh he cheated cheated.”

Another said, “Better do like Judge Mathis and go get your woman back.” Fans are mainly stunned by their separation due to their recent activity on social media, which gave no sign that Johnson and Rosado were at odds.

In September, the real estate agent shared several images of what looked like a happy couple.

In one picture, Rosado stood beside her former fiancé congratulating him on his induction into the Bengals Ring Of Honor, and another flick taken at the same ceremony shows her wearing a custom Bengals’ jersey with “wifey” embroidered on the back.

Rosado was joined by the couple’s 2-year-old daughter, Serenity, who wore an adorable top with “French Fry” on the back.

The couple’s journey began in November 2020. During a previous interview on the “I Am Athlete” podcast, she revealed how she met the former NFL star.

“I slid in his DMs. We used to tell — the joke was we met on Christian Mingle, but I actually slid in his DMs. She later said, “He was always a crush of mine. Like for years. Sexy, tall, chocolate. That thang know he fine.”

After dating long-distance for over two years, the father of eight proposed on Jan. 7, 2023. Johnson presented Rosado with a stunning 7.5-carat oval-cut engagement ring during his birthday celebration. The couple welcomed their daughter in January 2022.

Johnson often brags about the moment he fell in love with Rosado during an appearance on “Club Shay Shay” weeks after the engagement.

“First date, we went to McDonald’s,” he told host Shannon Sharpe. “She started ordering before I even pulled up to the thing …. Man, I was in love.” The frugal athlete even said Rosado once told him, “Listen, I don’t need you, I want you.”

It’s unclear when the couple officially broke up, as they were sharing posts referencing each other as recently as last week.

Earlier this month, Rosado continued to share more images of the attractive couple and even posted Johnson’s promotional photo for his appearance on “Are You Smarter Than A Celebrity.”

On the same day, Johnson later posted he was on his way to Miami to celebrate Rosado’s birthday.

She later shared a picture of a birthday bouquet and the accompanying card addressed to her: “I love you and the beef will resume tomorrow,” signed the sender, ‘Ryan.’

Although some fans hope the subtle announcement is a publicity stunt to attract more listeners to their respective podcasts, some telling events led up to the breakup.

During the June 3 episode of the “Nightcap” podcast, Johnson was clearly annoyed with his fiancé and co-host, Sharpe after Rasado announced she was tagging along with the two during an overseas tour stop.

After Sharpe asked Johnson to get a headshot of Rasado for a flyer, Johnson couldn’t hide his issues with overstepping her boundaries.

“Nah, nah, in all seriousness, we creating a monster,” he told Unc. He continued to complain, “She don’t need a feature because it’s taking away from my shine.”

Johnson would continuously tell stories of the couple’s breakup-to-makeup dynamic throughout the three years they shared together. The two became the focus of the podcast’s Live Summer Sessions, where they would use Sharpe and a live audience in the place of couple’s therapy.

Rosado’s “Relle Report” experience on “Nightcap” led her to launch her own podcast, “Humble Baddies.”

On the show’s inaugural episode, she revealed to co-hosts, Alexis Stoudemire and Ashley Wheeler that she was unfaithful at the beginning of her first marriage, landing her in the arms of Johnson. “I cheated on my ex-husband with Chad. I wouldn’t say cheat because I mentally checked out. I was done,” she divulged.

She went on to share the circumstances of her relationship with Johnson, claiming she formed an “emotional attachment” to him before getting physical and those feelings caused her to pull away from her marriage. “At the age I’m at now, I felt like it was wrong because I should have ended that relationship fully,” she reflected with a hint of regret.