Chad Johnson Breaks His Silence On Shocking Sharelle Rosado Split

Chad Johnson, who you might know better as Ochocinco, has been the talk of the town this week. Moreover, his longtime partner and fiancée Sharelle Rosado recently came out on social media to say that they broke up. The former NFL player seemed to push back on this, though, as he posted her initials on his Instagram Story with a lock emoji to suggest that he still wants to keep going. Nevertheless, he addressed the issue recently during an appearance on the Nightcap podcast, his show that he cohosts with Shannon Sharpe. It seems like this is still a pretty complex situation for the most part.

“I’m just saying, I’m blocked,” Chad Johnson remarked. “I don’t know what to do. […] If you live it publicly, you break up publicly? It’s okay. I can deal with that, though. The stove is hot, boy. I won’t touch it. No, [she didn’t say not to call her anymore]. Why don’t you do me a favor? Why don’t you be the moderator? *laughs* You laughing. That s**t ain’t funny, man. That s**t hurt, boy. All I do is tweet normal. I tweet football, that’s it. That’s with me. You ain’t have to be so public, and you might be watching.”

Chad Johnson Addresses Sharelle Rosado Breakup

Shannon Sharpe basically advised Chad Johnson to keep things offline, to give Sharelle Rosado space, and to be ready to have a conversation when she’s ready. But some folks think that there was already something going on in Ochocinco’s relationship. For example, Corey Holcomb recently suggested that her eagerness to appear on Nightcap should’ve been a “red flag” for Johnson from the jump. Of course, that’s just a speculative theory, but it’s one of many examples of folks trying to figure out what could’ve happened.

Nevertheless, that’s not for anyone to know other than Chad Johnson and Sharelle Rosado, so hopefully they can talk things out and reach a decision together. At least we know that Shannon Sharpe is there to support, even if he and Ochocinco have their issues from time to time. Maybe we will see a public resolution to this or they will settle this in private, which seems like the ideal move.

About The Author

Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022.

Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case.

Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.