Jimmy Kimmel is still on holiday break from his eponymous late-night show this weekâbut that didnât stop him from taking a moment to respond to a wild accusation that was made about him, seemingly out of nowhere, by New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers on ESPN Tuesday.
âDear Aasshole: for the record, Iâve not met, flown with, visited, or had any contact whatsoever with Epstein, nor will you find my name on any âlistâ other than the clearly-phony nonsense that soft-brained wackos like yourself canât seem to distinguish from reality,â Kimmel posted on X Tuesday night. âYour reckless words put my family in danger. Keep it up and we will debate the facts further in court.â
The host quote-tweeted a clip of Rodgers openly suggesting that Kimmelâs name could be on a list of Jeffrey Epstein associates that a judge recently ordered to be unsealed as early as this week.
âThereâs a lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, who are hoping that list doesnât come out,â Rodgers said during an episode of The Pat McAfee Show, appearing to baffle the showâs co-hosts. âIâll tell you what, if that list comes out, I will definitely be popping some sort of bottle.â the quarterback added.
While Rodgers included no evidence or rationale for his innuendo, he has a history of spouting conspiracy theories about everything from Epstein to UFOs to vaccinesâall of which has made him a comedic target of Kimmelâs in the past.
Most notably, Kimmel called Rodgers a âtin foil hatterâ for baselessly speculating about the Epstein list in March of last year. âMight be time to revisit that concussion protocol,â Kimmel joked at the time.