ESPN Sports Analyst and Television Presenter Pat McAfee made an apology statement on 3 January 2024 for Aaron Rodger, who has made comments on his show suggesting that the comedian Jimmy Kimmel has ties with the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
On the episode of The Pat McAfee Show, which was aired on 2 January 2024, Rodgers discussed the court documents that were set to be unsealed by the judge regarding the sex trafficking case of Jeffrey. He said that there would be a lot of people on the list, including Jimmy Kimmel. He also hoped that Jimmy’s name would not come out, and also, if it came out, he would be the first one to celebrate.
In response, Kimmel wrote on X, formerly Twitter, regarding his thoughts on Rodger’s comments and threatened legal action. He even mentioned that Rodger’s reckless words have put his family in danger. He is trying to take things legally and has warned Rodger that they will debate the topic further in court.
Jimmy Kimmel wrote on X,
Dear Asshole: for the record, he have not met, flown with, visited, or had any contact whatsoever with Epstein, nor will Rodger find his name on any ‘list’ other than the clearly-phony nonsense that soft-brained wackos like Rodger can’t seem to distinguish from reality.
However, when the court papers were unsealed, Jimmy Kimmel’s name was not mentioned at all. This has infuriated Jimmy’s fans more, and they are asking why Aaron has made such a statement.
ESPN issues apology for Rodger’s comments
ESPN apologized for misleading comments made by New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers earlier this week on the show. According to ESPN Vice President of Digital Production Mike Foss, Rodger’s comments regarding Kimmel in reference to the release of the Jeffrey Epstein court records were “a dumb and factually inaccurate joke.”
Mike Foss said in an interview with The Washington Post that
It should never have happened. We all realized that in the moment.
The ESPN apology was first reported by Front Office Sports. Foss also explained that the show will continue, and it will not be surprising if Aaron’s role changes over time.
The host of the show The Pat McAfee Show also apologized for Aaron Rodgers’ statement about Jimmy Kimmel’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. He addressed the issue and said that Aaron was trying to talk sh–t.
McAfee said that,
We obviously don’t like the fact that we’re associated with anything negative ever. We like our show to be an uplifting one, a happy one, a fun one. But it’s because we talk shit and try to make light of everything. Some things obviously people get very pissed off about, especially when they’re that serious allegations, so we apologize for being a part of it.
The network seem to be bashed by Jimmy Kimmel’s fans after they have telecasted the episode.
Pat McAfee accuses Norby Williamson of attempting to sabotage his program
McAfee returned to his daily show and instantly threw the network into a new round of instability by airing a broadside against one of his supervisors.
McAfee said that there are some people in the network who are trying to sabotage his show and him. He also specified that Norby Williamson was attempting to sabotage their program.
He further explained that somebody had tried to get ahead of their actual ratings release with wrong numbers just twelve hours before their telecast. McAfee mentions that it is a clear case of sabotage attempt, and this happens because some people do not like the old edition of the Pat McAfee show to the ESPN family.
McAfee also told how he was disrespected by Williamson for not showing up for a meeting that was scheduled. After McAfee, many ex-ESPN employees chimed in with similar views.
