Michele Evans News & Advocacy

Sometimes when people Google your name, they only see fragments. 🤷‍♀️🙄👀

But the fuller story is this:

I’ve been covered by The New York Times, The Times of London, Gothamist/WNYC, The Sun, and other outlets for my writing, my experience at Rikers, my book Rikers Island: Criminalized Survivor, my advocacy around the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act, and my work as a 2024 Rikers Narrative Change Community Fellow in sculpture.

I am not just a headline.

I am a writer.

I am an artist.

I am a filmmaker.

I am a survivor.

I am a public witness to systems most people only read about.

My work has moved through courtrooms, jail dorms, books, newspapers, film, sculpture, and survivor advocacy — and I’m still here, still creating, still telling the truth.

Don’t reduce me to one headline. The record is bigger than that.

Links below 🗞️📚🎬🗽⚖️🎨

Major / credibility coverage

Gothamist / WNYC* — “NY prosecutors undermining state law that protects domestic violence survivors in court”. Current DVSJA/survivor-justice article quoting me. (Domestic Violence Survivors Act)
The Times of London — “Creative Rikers Island inmates writing books to pass the time”. Mentions my Rikers Island experience and book. (Creative Inmates Writing Books)
The New York Times — “How a Notorious Jail Became a Literary Hotbed”. Article about how Rikers Island became a literary hotbed. (Rikers - Literary Hotbed)
The New York Times opinion — “I Got Covid at Rikers. I’m Still Suffering”. Op-Ed about my time in Rikers Island when Covid hit New York (Covid in Rikers)
Hour Children repost/link — “I Got Covid at Rikers. I’m Still Suffering”. Useful secondary link for the NYT Covid/Rikers essay if NYT itself is paywalled or hard to surface. (Repost - Covid In Rikers)

*Gothamist/WNYC’s Rikers Island reporting has been recognized as a 2025 Pulitzer Prize finalist.

Rikers / art / sculpture / exhibition coverage

Weeksville Heritage Center — “Torture Island: Past, Present, Future”. Lists my Exhibit Whispers Unfinished among the Narrative Change Community Fellows Exhibitions. (Weeksville)
New York Almanack — “Riker’s Island Exhibit Explores ‘Torture Island’s’ Past, Present, Future”. Covers the Weeksville/Rikers Public Memory Project exhibition and lists me as a sculpture fellow. (New York Almanack)
Rikers Public Memory Project — About / Fellows page. Lists me as the Sculpture Cohort. (A Community Truth and Healing Process)
Rikers Public Memory Project Instagram — sculpture reel References me saying I am a Rikers Public Memory Project fellow and working on a sculpture called “Whispers Unfinished” using clay, metal, and chains. (Instagram)

Rikers / jail condition coverage

The UK Sun — “Battered naked & brutal ‘murder dorm’… life inside America’s most notorious jail”. UK version/result references me describing Rikers as “hell on Earth.” (The UK Sun)
The Sun — Identifies me and my Rikers trauma in the article. (The Sun)

New York City Council Testimony — Conditions at Rikers Island

Advocacy - Michele Evans testified before the New York City Council’s Committee on Criminal Justice jointly with the Committee on Women and Gender Equity about her incarceration at Rikers Island from January 2019 through June 2020. Her testimony described filthy conditions, cockroaches, rats, overcrowded holding cells, and the lasting impact of what she experienced there. (Transcript)

New York City Council — Committee on Criminal Justice jointly with Committee on Women and Gender Equity

Hearing date: April 27, 2021

Subject: Women’s experiences in New York City jails / Rikers conditions

My testimony begins around page 136 of the transcript. Counsel says, “Next, we’ll hear from Michele Evans,” and then I testify:

“I’m Michele Evans and I was incarcerated in Riker’s from the beginning of January 2019 until June of 2020. What I experienced there won’t leave me.”

I then describe cockroaches, rats, filthy conditions, working in the mess hall killing cockroaches, and overcrowded Manhattan Supreme Court holding cells where people had to lie on the floor.

Shannon Sharpe / litigation coverage

People — “Another Woman Accuses Shannon Sharpe of Sex Assault in Defamation Lawsuit”. Major mainstream entertainment outlet. (People.com)
Page Six — “Shannon Sharpe accused of raping second woman…”. Covers my 2023 suit and allegations (Page Six)
The U.S. Sun — “Shannon Sharpe’s ex Michele Evans ‘is praying’ for his latest rape accuser…”. Covers my reaction to the Jane Doe case. (The Sun)
The U.S. Sun — “Shannon Sharpe judge demands ESPN star and OnlyFans model accuser ‘do not destroy’ sex tape evidence…”. Covers my preservation request. (The Sun)
The U.S. Sun — “Shannon Sharpe has a love child he’s kept secret…”. Covers my allegations/arguments in the broader litigation context. (The Sun)
Complex — “Shannon Sharpe Accuser Says He Threatened to ‘Destroy’ Her After Alleged 2010 Sexual Assault”. (Complex)
The U.S. Sun — Jane Doe settlement update / my reaction. Mentions my criticism after the settlement of the $50M lawsuit. (The Sun)
AllHipHop — “EXCLUSIVE: Shannon Sharpe Accused Of Ruining Woman’s Life & Causing Agoraphobia” Covers my April 2026 defamation suit. (AllHipHop)
AllHipHop — “New Lawsuit Against Shannon Sharpe Could Derail Dream To Come Back To ESPN”. Covers my newer lawsuit as former ESPN producer. (AllHipHop)
RadarOnline — “Shannon Sharpe Sued Again as Former ESPN Producer…” Covers the newer lawsuits and identifies me as a former ESPN producer. (Radar Online)
RadarOnline — “I’m Shannon Sharpe’s Ex-Girlfriend: He Did the Same to Me…” Covers my comments comparing my allegations to the later Jane Doe allegations. (Radar Online)
RadarOnline — Article mentioning my claim within broader Sharpe lawsuit coverage. Additional Radar result that references me in the broader context of Sharpe’s legal issues. (Radar Online)
The Shade Room — “Woman Behind 2023 Defamation Lawsuit Against Shannon Sharpe Recalls Alleged Assault In New Interview”. Entertainment/social-media coverage of my interview. (The Shade Room)
The Shade Room — “Woman Suing Shannon Sharpe For Defamation Reacts To Sexual Assault Lawsuit Against Him”. Covers my reaction to the Gabriella/Jane Doe lawsuit. (The Shade Room)
Courthouse News — “Shannon Sharpe accused of sexual assault and battery in $50 million lawsuit” Mentions my 2023 suit in context of the later lawsuit. (Courthouse News)
Yahoo / AOL syndication — Syndicated on Yahoo/AOL too, widening reach. (Yahoo!)
HotNewHipHop — “Shannon Sharpe Sued By Former ESPN Producer For Alleged Sexual Assault” Covers the newer lawsuit and cites Radar reporting. (HotNewHipHop)
Times of India — coverage referencing my comments/claims Times of India pieces in Sharpe-related coverage. (The Times of India)
Denver Post Article about Protective Order (Denver Post)
CBS News — about Protective Order (CBS Protective Order)
AdWeek — about Protective Order (AdWeek)
The New York Daily News — about Protective Order (NY Daily News)
TMZ Post — about Protective Order (TMZ)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel archive — “Sharpe takes leave from ‘NFL Today’” Michele Bundy petitioned a judge in Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta for a protective order, and that the petition alleged forced sex, threats, and stalking. (Jsonline Archive)
Bleacher Report — “Shannon Sharpe and Other Shocking Falls From Grace…” Sharpe resigned/took leave from CBS’s NFL Today after sexual-assault allegations by Michele Bundy. (Bleacher Report)
Westword — Sept. 2010 “Shannon Sharpe takes leave from CBS due to restraining order: See documents here” Denver-based coverage specifically tying the CBS leave to the restraining/protective order. (Westword)
Georgia Daily News — about Protective Order — “Report: Family Violence Restraining Order Filed Against Shannon Sharpe”. (Georgia Daily News)
FindLaw — “Michele Bundy Files Restraining Order Against Shannon Sharpe”. (Find Law)

* Some older protective-order coverage appears under my former name, Michele Bundy.

Reporter Highlight Reel — Michele Evans
Before becoming the subject of major media coverage, Michele Evans worked in media herself. This reel highlights her reporting, interviews, production background, and storytelling work across journalism and sports media. (Highlight Reel)

Profiles / indexed pages

Amazon — Rikers Island by Michele Evans Book listing (Amazon)
IMDb — Michele Evans Lists my film/writer credits. (IMDb)
The Black List — Michele Evans profile Screenwriting/creative profile; (Blcklst)