Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Rhoden immigrated to the United States in 1990 and settled in Maryland.[2] He went through a period of alcohol addiction following the death of his father, Lloyd, in 2002 but overcame it with help from his friend Lenore Carroll.[3]
An aspiring soccer player in his early teens, Rhoden started bodybuilding in 1992[3] with inspiration from a past IFBB Mr. Universe winner, Yohnnie Shambourger. He first competed in bodybuilding as a teenager, and won his first show weighing only 154 pounds.[4] After an amateur career marked by several injuries and alcohol dependence,[3] and after seven years away from bodybuilding stages, Rhoden earned his IFBB Pro card by winning the 2009 North American Championships.[5] He was the 11th at the 2011 Mr. Olympia (Mr. Olympia debut), 3rd at the 2012 Mr. Olympia, and 4th at the 2013 Mr. Olympia competition. In 2014, Rhoden was third at the 2014 Mr. Olympia competition and then third again at the 2015 Mr. Olympia. In 2016, he was second.[citation needed] Two years later, he unseated Phil Heath to become the 2018 Mr. Olympia. Rhoden's age at the time, 43 years and 5 months, made him the oldest Mr. Olympia titleholder.[6]
In 2015, Shawn Rhoden and then partner Michelle Sugar had a daughter. The couple soon married in 2018. However, due to personal issues and allegations of infidelity, they divorced.[7] Rhoden died from a heart attack on November 6, 2021.[6][8]
Rhoden was accused of sexually assaulting a female protégée while he was visiting Salt Lake City, Utah, in October 2018, shortly after his Mr.Olympia win. In July 2019, he was formally charged in the state of Utah with rape, object rape, and sexual abuse.[9] It was alleged that Rhoden invited a married woman whom he had been mentoring to his hotel room in Salt Lake, where the reported actions took place. The American Media LLC company, which is the organizing body for the Mr.Olympia contest, released a statement in July 2019 that Rhoden was banned from competing at the 2019 Mr.Olympia contest, as well as future competitions.[10] A statement that same month from the governing body of the sport of bodybuilding and fitness, the IFBB Pro (through representative Jim Manion), stated that the IFBB Pro League had thus far not taken any action regarding Rhoden, but would continue to monitor the situation.[11]
