Noah Lyles is a distinguished person in track and field; there is no denying that. Whether he’s on or off the track, the man stays in the headlines. While his demeanor might be seen as confidence built through his achievements—after all, he is an Olympic gold medalist—many people may perceive it as arrogance, which can rub them the wrong way at times. And this time around, it is a Hollywood actor. Who and what did they say?
“I hate to say this about him, and I normally don’t say this about people.” A disappointed expression takes over the face of stand-up comedian and actor, TK Kirkland, and the next thing he says to Noah Lyles is, “somebody needs to whoop his a–.” This happened on the latest episode of Club Shay Shay, which premiered on July 2, 2025, on YouTube. Why such harsh comments, you may ask? Because he was disappointed that Lyles did not participate in the race against Tyreek Hill.
The Hollywood actor further said, “Now he needs to go in the room and get f—– up, so he can get some guts. Because I’m disappointed by how he moves as a man.” Noah Lyles has always claimed to be a champion and also to be the fastest in the world. The man did not go to the Grand Slam Track because they could not match his worth. Host Shannon Sharpe then attacked these statements of the 27-year-old, saying that the most famous track and field athletes are Usain Bolt and Michael Johnson. He even said the people will buy a shoe because you are famous, not fast. Kirkland nodded in agreement.
The Strays actor also brought up Bolt in the discussion. He said, “Character! Do you have a personality to sell? You see, Usain Bolt. Yeah, what’s about him? He’s generous to the people, and he gives results. He wins.” In March 2025, the Usain Bolt Foundation donated J$6.1 million to six rural Jamaican high schools. Further, he has eight Olympic gold medals in sprint events. There is no doubt about either of the things said by the Hollywood actor. He then talked of football, where no matter how much talent you have, your character defines your contract, according to him.
“Somebody needs to whoop his a**” – TK Kirkland on Noah Lyles pic.twitter.com/Az3wnYS4wF
— The Erin Brown (@TheErinBrown) July 2, 2025
He said, “Yeah, got the talent, but they decide. He can’t handle that right money because they’ve been watching your character. And if your character’s not right, you could lose seven, eight, ten, even twenty million.” An example of this is when the Arizona Cardinals offered Murray a 5-year, $230 million extension in 2022; they included a clause requiring him to watch at least 4 hours of game tape weekly. Shannon Sharpe then said that if Lyles feels like he deserves the shoe, then there is no problem, but he shouldn’t “talk about what somebody else has because you don’t have.”
He is referring to the Noah Lyles and Adidas controversy. Lyles pushed Adidas to give him the same signature shoe attention as Anthony “Ant-Man” Edwards. When that didn’t happen, he called them out—publicly and passionately—only to later clarify it wasn’t about disrespecting Edwards, but about advocating for himself. He has been called out for this before. Kirkland said, “And keep delivering, be a man of your word if you’re supposed to race Tyreek. Train, train because we know you’re the best, how we can’t beat you.”
Noah Lyles had agreed to a bold head-to-head sprint against NFL speedster Tyreek Hill—complete with plans to shut down Times Square- but abruptly pulled out, citing “personal reasons” just before the event. Hill then raced and defeated Lyles’ younger brother, Josephus, clocking a 10.10s to Josephus’s 10.25s in the ATX Sprint Classic. It has brought lots of mockery to the Olympian. But this won’t be the first time for Noah Lyles to be called out publicly like this.
Noah Lyles has been called out for his actions before
Lyles keeps making statements in public, and he keeps getting called out. After winning three golds at the World Championships in Budapest in 2023, he aimed at the NBA, labeling its champions as world champions. He remarked, “World champion of what? The United States?… that ain’t the world,” highlighting the fact that the NBA doesn’t feature international teams. NBA stars responded sharply. Kevin Durant wrote, “Somebody help this brother.” Draymond Green said, “When being smart goes wrong,” and Aaron Gordon playfully challenged him: “I’m smoking buddy in the 200m.”
During the Paris Olympics, Lyles tested positive for COVID-19 but chose to compete in the 200 m final, where he ultimately took bronze. BBC presenter Gabby Logan condemned the decision live on air, stating it was “quite a selfish” decision since he risked infecting others in the call room and during race preparations. The criticism echoed across media and social platforms, with many questioning the ethics of competing while knowingly ill.
Usain Bolt publicly admonished Lyles after he jokingly said, “Usain Bolt who?” Bolt, appearing on the Ready, Set, Go podcast, told the American: “Bro, stop it… If you don’t know who Usain Bolt is you’re in the wrong sport,” and added, “So stop acting. Put some respect on my name.” And Bolt is one playful and cool athlete, so this coming from him means the Lyles event managed to frustrate him. What are your thoughts on these actions by Noah Lyles?
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