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Topics: Celebrity, Sabrina Carpenter, Music, Social Media
Rhiannon Ingle
Topics: Celebrity, Sabrina Carpenter, Music, Social Media
Shaquille O’Neal has come forward to address the speculation circling all over social media that he allegedly sent Sabrina Carpenter some very NSFW messages.
Now, in case you're out of the loop, a bunch of screenshots have been doing the rounds online that purported to show risque Instagram exchanges between O'Neal and the 26-year-old 'Espresso' hit-maker.
Speaking on a recent episode (20 March) of his The Big Podcast, the 54-year-old NBA star decided to read some of the supposed messages aloud to highlight just how outlandish they were.
Such lines included: "Damn, baby. I would keep your farts in a cologne bottle and spray it on me every day. Just jokes, I’m Shaq. What’s your name, baby?" while 'Carpenter' appeared to respond: "I know who you are. You’re way too famous to be sending messages like that."
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Another fabricated message was: "I can't be horny and want some of that Snow Bunny kitty? You're being rude for no reason."
One message even included O'Neal's self-referential nickname 'Big Diesel', reading: "You can’t handle Big Diesel anyway. My meat would have you in the hospital."
And the last message read: "Can we find out?"
Putting the rumours to bed on the podcast and debunking the speculation once and for all, O'Neal declared: "First of all, ladies, the Diesel got way more game than that. I’m just saying."
Joking about the ordeal, O'Neal put the fake messages down to 'youngers' who are focused on 'the algorithm and going viral'.
The former basketball player is a father to daughter Taahirah, 29, whom he shares with his ex-girlfriend Arnetta Yardbourgh.
He also shares five children with ex-wife Shaunie Henderson: Myles, 28, Shareef, 26, Amirah, 24, Shaqir, 22, and Me'arah, 19.
Last year, O'Neal spoke out following online speculation about a romantic link between him and adult content creator Sophie Rain after he was spotted at her 21st birthday party.
After photos of the pair surfaced on social media, fans wondered whether they were dating.
O'Neal was quick to shut down the rumours, writing on Instagram at the time: "I don’t date that young, but I will date your mom and give u a brother."
The sports analyst is not publicly confirmed to be in a serious relationship.
Carpenter is also reportedly single following her split from Irish actor Barry Keoghan in December 2024
Tyla has reached out to Sabrina Carpenter's representatives for comment.