In a 30-minute-long unglued rant Tuesday on The Pat McAfee Show, Aaron Rodgers blasted an ESPN executive for issuing an apology for the New York Jets star’s insinuation that late-night host Jimmy Kimmel was an associate of the late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
“You are not helping,” Rodgers raged about Mike Foss, ESPN’s vice president of digital production who said last week that Rodgers made a “dumb and factually inaccurate joke.”
During his regularly paid appearance on ex-NFL punter McAfee’s daily broadcast last week, Rodgers continued his long-running feud with Kimmel by suggesting that the comedian’s name would appear on the so-called Epstein List. Rodgers’ remarks came just ahead of the public release of Epstein-related court documents that ensnared a number of prominent individuals.
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Kimmel’s name was nowhere to be found in the docs.
“There’s a lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, who are really hoping that doesn’t come out,” Rodgers remarked, setting off a firestorm. “I’ll tell you what, if that list comes out, I definitely will be popping some sort of bottle.”
After Kimmel threatened a lawsuit, Foss said in a statement that “it never should have happened” while blasting Rodgers’ comments. Both ESPN, which airs McAfee’s show, and ABC, where Kimmel works, are owned by Disney.
In his first show after Rodgers’ remarks, the late-night host torched the conspiracy-peddling quarterback, calling him “hamster-brained” while explaining that a “lot of delusional people honestly believe” Kimmel is a blood-drinking pedophile.
At the same time, Kimmel said he was willing to accept an apology from Rodgers and forget the whole thing. But it would appear that he will need to wait a bit longer for that apology.
Rodgers, who said earlier this week that he would wait to address the issue on McAfee’s show, opened up his segment by fuming about the “woke establishment” that was tuning in to report on what he’d say.
Framing his comments within the context of the extended back-and-forth he’s had with Kimmel, the 40-year-old Super Bowl champ insisted that he never directly implied the late-night host is a pedophile or was associated with Epstein.
“I was referring to the fact that if there is a list, which again this hasn't come out yet, this was just a deposition,” he said before claiming he’s been proven “right” about the Epstein documents.
“Let me just say that that is the truth, number one,” Rodgers continued. “Number two, I totally understand how serious an allegation of pedophilia would be. For him to be upset about it, I would get it. Did you watch the quote because that is exactly what I said? Verbatim. I’m not stupid enough, even though you think I’m an idiot and you made a lot of comments about my intelligence, but I’m not stupid enough to accuse you of that with absolutely zero evidence, concrete evidence. That’s ridiculous.”
Rodgers separately lashed out at Foss, the ESPN executive, for disowning his Epstein comments, claiming the production bigwig didn’t actually hear them in context.
“I don’t understand the comment, because he didn’t help out either,” Rodgers fumed. “I’m going to quote Mike. He said, ‘Aaron made a dumb and factually incorrect joke about Jimmy Kimmel, it should never have happened, we realized that in a moment.’ Mike, you are not helping.”
The former Green Bay Packer then portrayed himself as a victim of so-called cancel culture. “This is what they do. They try to cancel,” he groused.
Rodgers spent the majority of the segment complaining about COVID-19 vaccines and Dr. Anthony Fauci, using his ESPN platform to promote the unproven coronavirus treatment ivermectin while baselessly claiming that vaccinations have caused widespread injuries and deaths.
“If you look at the track record of conspiracy theorists in the last few years, they've been right about a lot of things,” he declared at one point. Elsewhere, he touted prominent anti-vaxxer Robert Kennedy Jr. for president, and boasted of all the research he has personally done on COVID-19.
But the quarterback managed to find a way back to his Epstein remarks about Kimmel. “In the end, I still haven't popped a bottle because there hasn't been any list that has come out,” he said. “And I’m glad that Jimmy is not on the list. I really am. I don’t think he is the p-word.”
McAfee, who has also lashed out at ESPN executives as he’s come under fire for platforming Rodgers, told Rodgers “I appreciate your stance” on vaccines before praising the future Hall of Famer for his handling of the Kimmel situation.
“We are moving on,” McAfee stated. “I do believe that everything you do in your mind you feel is as the best intentions from your truth and what you have experienced and from your research. Every once in a while, when we are in here talking, some things can be taken sideways or out of context, start narratives and stories that none of us necessarily love or believe in. Thank you for clearing it up. Jimmy, pumped you are not on that list!”
Not leaving well enough alone, however, Rodgers continued venting about Foss.
“Who actually watched a clip, and how many people just saw the headline? I don’t think Mike [Foss] watched the clip. I don’t even know who that is. I don’t work for you, Mike!”
Notably, Rodgers did not appear to take issue with McAfee’s own mild apology, which was delivered the day after Rodgers’ appearance last week.
