Aaron Rodgers Is Now Off ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ Amid His Feud with Jimmy Kimmel

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Jimmy Kimmel isn’t joking around when it comes to recent comments outspoken NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers made about the popular late night host. In fact, he’s threatened to sue the former Super Bowl champion.

Rodgers, 40, suggested during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on January 2 that Kimmel is connected to the “list” of associates of Jeffrey Epstein, the former financier arrested on sex-trafficking charges in 2019. Rodgers didn’t mention a reason or evidence to support linking Kimmel to the list, and the 56-year-old comedian hasn’t appeared in the documents that have been released.

But, not surprisingly, the comments angered Kimmel, who said in a social media post he would take Rodgers to court if he continued to make statements that are potentially defamatory. Their eye-opening interactions marked the escalation of a spat that, although relatively lighthearted prior to this incident, has been ongoing for years between the athlete and TV personality.

What Did Rodgers Originally Say About Kimmel?

The “list” in question refers to a collection of documents related to a defamation suit against Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former associate and girlfriend, that a judge ordered to be unsealed after January 1. The has process received plenty of attention in recent weeks, as the documents were expected to reveal the names of alleged co-conspirators, victims, and witnesses pertaining to Epstein’s charges.

Epstein was found dead inside his prison cell in August 2019 before standing trial. His death was ruled a suicide.

As of Tuesday, according to CBS News, three sets of documents have been released. A number of high-profile names have appeared in connection to Epstein but in a non-criminal manner. Kimmel’s name wasn’t included in any of the documents.

Rodgers’ comments came before any documents were made public. A reoccurring guest on McAfee’s podcast, he began discussing their anticipated release with McAfee and co-host A.J. Hawk, both former NFL players, on the January 2 episode. “There’s a lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, that are really hoping [the list] doesn’t come out,” Rodgers told McAfee and Hawk. He later added, “I’ll tell you what, if that list comes out, I definitely will be popping, popping some sort of bottle.”

How Did Kimmel Respond?

On January 2 in a post to X (formerly Twitter), Kimmel vehemently denied any connection to Epstein and called Rodgers a “soft-brained wacko” for his comments. “I’ve not met, flown with, visited, or had any contact whatsoever with Epstein, nor will you find my name on any ‘list’... Your reckless words put my family in danger. Keep it up and we will debate the facts further in court,” Kimmel wrote.

Then on Monday’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the host addressed the situation and his X post during his opening monologue. “[The list] did come out and, of course, my name wasn’t on it and isn’t on it and won’t ever be on it. I don’t know Jeffrey Epstein, I’ve never met Jeffrey Epstein. I’m not on a list, I was not on a plane or an island or anything ever,” Kimmel told the audience. He later called Rodgers a “hamster-brained man.”

Kimmel, who acknowledged he has poked fun at the quarterback in the past, further explained that any jokes on his show are fact-checked and sourced for accuracy. “When I do get something wrong, which happens on rare occasions, you know what I do? I apologize for it—which is what Aaron Rodgers should do,” Kimmel said. “Which is what a decent person would do, but I bet he won’t. If he does, you know what I’ll do? I’ll accept his apology and move on.”

Notably, The Pat McAfee Show is broadcast on ESPN—a property of the The Walt Disney Company along with ABC, which broadcasts Kimmel’s eponymous talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! According to reporter Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports, an ESPN spokesperson said Friday that Rodgers “made a dumb and factually inaccurate joke about Jimmy Kimmel. It should never have happened.” (Editor’s note: Biography.com’s parent company, Hearst, owns a minority stake in ESPN.)

Now, Rodgers has been dropped from the podcast

McAfee first addressed the controversy on the January 3 episode of his podcast and expressed hope that Rodgers and Kimmel could settle their rift without going to court. “I can see exactly why Jimmy Kimmel felt the way he felt, especially with his position,” he said. “But I think Aaron was just trying to talk s––. Now, did it go too far in a lot of people’s [minds]? Jimmy Kimmel certainly said that was the case... 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.”

Rodgers was back on the podcast Tuesday—hours after Kimmel’s scathing monologue—and didn’t offer an apology to the TV host. Instead, he said his comments were misinterpreted and that he wasn’t trying to insinuate Kimmel was involved in any criminal activity. “I’m not stupid enough to accuse you of that with absolutely zero evidence, concrete evidence. That’s ridiculous,” Rodgers said.

After the appearance drew even more attention to the spat, McAfee announced on his show Wednesday that Rodgers won’t appear again through the rest of the NFL season. “We live in a country that has freedom of speech. But also you’re going to have deal with the consequences of your freedom of speech. So what I’m saying is we’ve given a lot of people who have been waiting for [the show] to fail a lot of ammo in things to attack to us for over the last week,” the host explained. “And I’m pumped that that is no longer going to be every single Wednesday of my life, which it has been for the last few weeks.”

Hasn’t Kimmel Joked about Rodgers on His Show Before?

Yes, and Rodgers alluded to a number of jokes Kimmel has made at the quarterback’s expense during his latest appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.

In November 2021, Kimmel slammed Rodgers in a monologue after the quarterback lied about his COVID-19 vaccination status and contracted the virus during the NFL season. “Aaron is a Karen, that’s the fact of the matter,” Kimmel said, also making fun of Rodgers’ hairstyle in a short video clip. “Honestly, the only thing worse than not getting vaccinated when you’re in close contact with other people is letting them think you’re vaccinated when you’re not. It’s basically the COVID equivalent of ‘the condom fell off.’” Days later, Kimmel called Rodgers a “wack Packer”—a reference to his former team—for taking medical advice from podcast host Joe Rogan.

Then in March 2023, the comedian took another jab at Rodgers for his conspiratorial suggestion that UFO documentation was a distraction to prevent the Epstein list from becoming public. “It might be time to revisit the concussion protocol, Aaron,” Kimmel quipped in response, also referring to Rodgers as a “tin-foil hatter.”

Rodgers also has had beef with Travis Kelce and Anthony Fauci

COVID-19 has proven to be a sensitive subject for Rodgers, who has endorsed alternative medical treatments like the psychedelic ayahuasca. “Like we learned, if science is Dr. Fauci, you’re damn right I’m defying science,” Rodgers said this past October, alluding to Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases who became a household name at the onset of the pandemic.

Also in October 2023, Rodgers jokingly referred to Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce as “Mr. Pfizer” on McAfee’s show. The 34-year-old Kelce, who has been one of the NFL’s most visible players amid his relationship with pop star Taylor Swift, appeared in a commercial for the drug company to help promote the coronavirus and flu vaccines.

Kelce took the comment in stride and offered his own witty response. “Who knew I’d get into the vax wars with Aaron Rodgers, man? Mr. Pfizer vs. the Johnson & Johnson family over there,” he said during a news conference, according to CBS Sports. For context, Woody Johnson and Christopher Johnson—the great-grandsons of Johnson & Johnson co-founder Robert Wood Johnson—own Rodgers’ current team, the New York Jets.

Just days prior to the controversy, Rodgers and Kelce had been photographed smiling together on the field when the Jets and Chiefs faced off October 1.

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