Shaquille O'Neal Denies Sending Viral Explicit DMs to Sabrina Carpenter

Shaquille O'Neal turned a viral embarrassment into a punchline. Screenshots of an alleged exchange between O'Neal and pop star Sabrina Carpenter hit social media earlier this month, and the 54-year-old retired Lakers center wasted no time getting ahead of the story. O'Neal not only addressed the messages but read them aloud during his Big Podcast with Shaq.

His guest for the segment was rapper Jim Jones. O'Neal turned to Jones and asked, "I want you to tell me if this is me or not me," before reading the first of the alleged messages: "Damn, baby, I would keep your farts in a cologne bottle and spray it on me every day." The alleged screenshots had Carpenter, 26, responding: "I know who you are. You're way too famous to be sending messages like that." O'Neal then read the remainder of the exchange, which grew more explicit, before flatly dismissing the entire thread. "First of all, ladies, the Diesel got way more game than that."

O'Neal denied sending the messages and used humor to showcase his innocence, with his co-hosts theorizing that the messages were AI-generated or from a fake account posing as Shaq, with no concrete evidence linking him to the allegations. Us Weekly reported that O'Neal subsequently acknowledged a photoshopped image of himself had been added to the seemingly AI-created message exchange.

The four-time champion highlighted that the account shown in the screenshots did not match his actual social media presence. The NBA legend took on the viral DMs head-on during the podcast episode, having guest Jim Jones set the table by reading a headline that accompanied the fake messages: "Shaq exposed for shooting shot at Sabrina Carpenter."

Jones offered some perspective on the episode's shelf life. "Social media is there for entertainment," he said. "Whatever's going on today, it's not going to last past three days. If you feel that social media is working against you, it's never working against you. You've got to figure out how to make it work for you even when it is working against you 'cause now you have millions of eyes on you."

Neither O'Neal nor Carpenter have further addressed the fake text conversation. Carpenter's representatives have not issued a public statement, and the 26-year-old singer has not responded on social media.

This is not the first time O'Neal has had to swat down online rumors connecting him to a younger celebrity. After he was spotted with OnlyFans creator Sophie Rain on her 21st birthday, the NBA alum denied claims of a budding romance, writing via Instagram comment: "I don't [date] that young but I will date your mom and give u a brother."

The episode underscores a growing problem in celebrity culture: the messages were theorized to be AI-generated or from a fake account, with no concrete evidence linking O'Neal to the allegations, a reminder not to believe everything on the internet given the ease with which trolls can spread misinformation using AI technology. The March 20 podcast segment served as O'Neal's definitive public record on the matter, delivered in his signature style: loud, unapologetic, and with a laugh.