Jimmy Kimmel is dead serious about the recent stuff Aaron Rodgers said about him. I mean, serious enough to throw around the idea of suing the former Super Bowl champ.
So, Rodgers, 40, went on The Pat McAfee Show on January 2 and hinted that Kimmel is somehow linked to Jeffrey Epstein’s associates. You know, Epstein, the guy who got into serious trouble with sex trafficking charges in 2019.
But here’s the kicker – Rodgers didn’t give any reason or proof for connecting Kimmel to the list. And surprise, surprise, Kimmel, who’s 56, hasn’t shown up in any of those released documents.
No shocker, Rodgers’ comments got under Kimmel’s skin. The comedian went on social media and basically said, “Hey, keep this up, and we might end up in court, buddy.” And just like that, their somewhat playful feud took a serious turn.
What Were Rodgers’ Initial Comments Regarding Kimmel?
In December 2022, Aaron Rodgers showed up at a New York Jets game in Miami Gardens, Florida, making his presence known.
Now, let’s talk about this “list.” It’s all about some documents tied to a defamation suit against Ghislaine Maxwell, who was Jeffrey Epstein’s former associate and girlfriend.
A judge decided to unseal these documents after January 1. It’s been a big deal lately because everyone expected these papers to spill the beans on alleged co-conspirators, victims, and witnesses related to Epstein’s charges.
Epstein, if you remember, was found dead in his prison cell back in August 2019 before his trial, and they said it was a suicide.
As of Tuesday, CBS News says three batches of documents have seen the light of day. Some big names got linked to Epstein, but nothing criminal. And here’s the kicker – Jimmy Kimmel’s name didn’t show up in any of those papers.
Now, here’s the plot twist of the whole saga. When Rodgers spilled the beans, none of these documents were out yet. He was on McAfee’s podcast, chatting with A.J. Hawk, both ex-NFL players, on the January 2 episode.
Rodgers said, “There’s a lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, that are really hoping [the list] doesn’t come out.” He even added, “I’ll tell you what, if that list comes out, I definitely will be popping, popping some sort of bottle.”
How Did Kimmel React?
On January 2, I have to tell you, Kimmel went on X (you know, that platform formerly known as Twitter) to shut down any links to Epstein and straight-up called Rodgers a “soft-brained wacko” for his comments.
He was like, “I have not met, flown with, visited, or had any contact whatsoever with Epstein. You won’t find my name on any ‘list’… Your reckless words put my family in danger. Keep it up, and we might need to sort this out in court,” Kimmel dropped.
Fast forward to Monday’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and you know Kimmel had to spill the tea on the situation. He told the audience, “[The list] did come out, and surprise, surprise, my name wasn’t on it and won’t ever be on it.
I do not know Jeffrey Epstein, never met the guy. I’m not on a list, never on a plane or an island or anything.” And then, just to spice things up, he called Rodgers a “hamster-brained man.”
Kimmel, giving us the inside scoop, admitted he’s cracked some jokes about Rodgers before. But here’s the thing – every joke on his show is checked and fact-checked.
“When I mess up, which is rare, you know what I do? I say sorry. That’s what Aaron Rodgers should do. It’s what a decent person would do, but I bet he won’t. If he does, I’ll take the apology and move on,” Kimmel spilled.
The Pat McAfee Show airs on ESPN, the sibling to ABC, which broadcasts Kimmel’s show. According to a spokesperson from ESPN, Rodgers pulled a “dumb and factually inaccurate joke about Jimmy Kimmel. It should never have happened.”
Currently, Rodgers Has Been Removed from the Podcast
So, let’s head straight into the McAfee side of things. On the January 3 podcast episode, McAfee jumped into the controversy and kinda hoped Rodgers and Kimmel could sort things out without hitting the court.
He was like, “I get why Jimmy felt that way, especially with his position. Aaron was just talking smack, you know? But did it cross some lines for some people? Yeah, Jimmy Kimmel definitely said it did… Some stuff gets folks really fired up, especially when it’s serious, so we apologize for being part of it.”
Then, Rodgers made a comeback on the podcast the next day, hours after Kimmel unleashed his monologue. Did he apologize? Nope. Instead, he said his words got twisted and he wasn’t trying to hint at Kimmel doing anything shady. “I’m not dumb enough to accuse you of that without any concrete evidence. That’s crazy,” Rodgers insisted.
But guess what? This whole thing got even more attention. So, on Wednesday, McAfee dropped the bomb that Rodgers won’t be showing up on the podcast for the rest of the NFL season.
Why? Well, freedom of speech is cool, but there are consequences, you know? McAfee spilled the beans, saying they gave people waiting for the show to fail a bunch of ammo to attack them. And he’s pumped that it won’t be a thing every single Wednesday anymore.
Has Kimmel Previously Made Jokes About Rodgers on His Show?
Rodgers hit up “The Pat McAfee Show” for his weekly chat and tried to clear the air after last week’s drama. He insisted he never called Kimmel a pedophile and slammed name-calling.
Rodgers took a swing at ESPN exec Mike Foss for calling his Epstein-related comment a “dumb and factually inaccurate joke.” Rodgers was like, “Mike, you’re not helping. This is the media’s cancel game plan.”
Last week, Rodgers hinted that folks, including Kimmel, hoped Epstein’s list stayed secret. Kimmel fired back, threatening a lawsuit and saying Rodgers was putting his family at risk. Rodgers argued people were reading too much into it, and he’s not dumb enough to call Kimmel a pedophile.
Kimmel, not one to hold back, tore into Rodgers on his show. He said he’d accept an apology, but didn’t think he’d get one. Kimmel labeled Rodgers “hamster-brained” and cracked a joke about his two A’s being in the name Aaron. Ouch!
Rodgers, before diving into specifics, went on a rant about his gripes with Kimmel, especially jokes about his COVID-19 vaccination stance. Even after all that, he claimed he didn’t care what Kimmel said about him, as long as Kimmel understood he wasn’t accusing him of being on a list.
