Aaron Rodgers is attempting to correct the record on what he actually claimed about Jimmy Kimmel after ESPN and Disney were pulled into a media firestorm over his comments on The Pat McAfee Show last week.
While Kimmel responded strongly to Rodgers’ insinuation that he was involved with convicted child trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, this week Rodgers claimed he was not directly accusing Kimmel of the same crime. In his weekly spot on PMS, Rodgers said he was simply calling attention to the issue overall and calling on Kimmel and the audience to pay more attention to it.
“I totally understand how serious an allegation of pedophilia would be,” Rodgers said. “So for him to be upset about that, I get it. Did you watch the quote? Because that’s exactly what I said. Verbatim what I said on the show. I’m not stupid enough, even though you think I’m an idiot … to accuse you of that with absolutely zero concrete evidence. That’s ridiculous.”
"I'm not stupid enough to accuse you of that with absolutely zero concrete evidence."
Aaron Rodgers gives his side of the controversy with Jimmy Kimmel pic.twitter.com/wSUGyqTLhW
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 9, 2024
After originally threatening legal action against Rodgers for libel, Kimmel got his two cents in on Monday. In his opening monologue on Monday night’s Jimmy Kimmel Live, the ABC host made jokes about Rodgers’ junior college education and compared him to a “Karen,” a caricature of a whiny woman.
The two have beef going back to last year when Kimmel made fun of Rodgers’ potential brain damage from football after Rodgers explained his views on public health and the coronavirus pandemic.
Rodgers called back to those comments on Tuesday’s PMS, claiming he was correct about COVID-19 and would be correct about how extensive the Epstein client list is.
“I was referring to the fact that if there is a list … and there are names on it, that would be the second time that a soft-brained, junior college student wacko, anti-vax … whatever other things have been said by him and other people in the media, would be right twice,” Rodgers said.
While doing cleanup after Rodgers’ comments, ESPN put out a press release attributed to Senior Vice President of Production Mike Foss, who oversees PMS. The release called Rodgers’ words a “dumb and factually inaccurate joke.”
Rodgers took issue with that stance as well, expressing his belief that it was part of ESPN’s efforts to silence him.
“I don’t understand Mike Foss’ comment, because he didn’t help out either,” Rodgers said. “Mike, you’re not helping. Because I just read earlier exactly what I said, and this is the gameplan of the media. This is what they do. They try and cancel, not just me. It’s nowhere near just me if you look at all the people that have been censored from the internet, especially during [the COVID-19 pandemic].”
Aaron Rodgers continued with a tirade against mainstream media, including ESPN SVP of Production Mike Foss pic.twitter.com/tbeUfU8SD8
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 9, 2024
Rodgers believes the controversies of the past week are just another example of media silencing those with nontraditional views.
“There’s a lot of people who have been captured by various government entities, whether we’re talking about pharmaceutical industrial complex or whether we’re talking about believing that the government has the best interests in mind,” Rodgers said. “In the end, if you are not someone whose opinion aligns with the mainstream narrative, this is what they’re going to do with you.”
ESPN clearly has already made peace with Rodgers joining PMS in the future. It appears that so long as they employ McAfee and license his show, Rodgers will appear on their airwaves. McAfee has likely made that line in the sand known to management.
But Rodgers clarifying his intentions doesn’t change what he said. A judge can determine whether Kimmel would have a case in court, but plenty online turned against Kimmel when Rodgers referenced him alongside Epstein. It appears Rodgers intensified the tensions between McAfee and ESPN. None of that goes away because Rodgers played off his comments.
During Tuesday’s interview, McAfee made an exaggerated show of “checking” Rodgers whenever the quarterback said something unclear or potentially unfounded. You could almost hear ESPN execs in McAfee’s ear as he threw the request back in their faces.
As McAfee concluded the conversation with Rodgers, he indicated this would be Rodgers’ last appearance until the next NFL season. That means the drama should quiet down for ESPN soon.
[The Pat McAfee Show on YouTube]
