Jimmy Kimmel skewered Aaron Rodgers on Monday’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! over comments the NFL quarterback recently made insinuating the late-night host was associated with Jeffrey Epstein.
“Either he actually believes my name was going to be on Epstein’s list, which is insane, or the more likely scenario is he doesn’t actually believe that, he just said it because he’s mad at me for making fun of his topknot and his lies about being vaccinated,” Kimmel declared on his first show of the new year.
The television host dedicated seven minutes for his rebuttal to Rodgers, whom Kimmel called “arrogant,” “ignorant” and a “hamster-brained man.” Ultimately, Kimmel said he would “accept” Rodgers’s “apology and move on” should the athlete issue a mea culpa but told viewers he’s not expecting one … and he was right.
On Tuesday, Rodgers had his weekly appearance on ESPN’s The Pat McAffee Show — the program that got him in hot water with Kimmel last week — where he essentially claimed his comments were misinterpreted by Kimmel and the media.
“I’m glad that Jimmy is not on the list. I really am. And I don’t think he’s the p-word [pedophile], and, you know, I think it’s impressive that a man who went to Arizona State and has 10 joke writers can read off a prompter,” Rodgers stated. “I wish him the best. Again, I don’t give a shit what he says about me. But as long as he understands what I actually said and that I’m not accusing him of being on the list, then I’m all for moving forward.”
Here’s the latest.
Rodgers details history with Kimmel, and while he wants to “put this to bed,” stops short of an apology
On Jan. 2, Rodgers talked about the “Epstein list,” which referred to a batch of unsealed court documents related to the sex offender and his disturbing crimes. (“There’s a lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, really hoping that doesn’t come out,” Rodgers remarked. While many high-profile men appear in the files, Kimmel is not mentioned.)
The New York Jets quarterback kicked things off on Tuesday by saying he was addressing the Kimmel feud so the “woke establishment” tuning in could go about their day.
“It’s been an interesting week for sure. … The history of this, whatever this is between Jimmy and I, this goes back to COVID times. And in COVID times, he mentioned on his show jokes about my immunization. … He didn’t just stop there, though. He made a lot of other comments about unvaccinated people,” explained Rodgers, who at one point called Kimmel’s attacks “unprompted.”
“In my opinion, you went after me, that’s fine, you’re a comedian, go for it, not offended. But that was an L [loss],” he said after ranting about COVID vaccinations.
Rodgers then claimed he never insinuated Kimmel was associated with Epstein. However, he didn’t fully explain what he meant by linking the two.
“A lot of people, and I’m quoting myself, ‘A lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, are really hoping that [list] doesn’t come out.’ End quote,” Rodgers continued. “I was referring to the fact that if there is a list, which again hasn’t come out yet, this was just a deposition.”
Rodgers continued, “I totally understand how serious an allegation of pedophilia would be. So for him to be upset about that, I get it. Did you watch the quote? Because that’s exactly what I said. … I’m not stupid enough — even though you think I’m an idiot and you made a lot of comments about my intelligence — I’m not stupid enough to accuse you of that with absolutely zero evidence, concrete evidence, that’s ridiculous.”
Rodgers added how he’s “glad” he and Kimmel agree “those crimes are heinous.” He went on to say that whenever Epstein’s client list is released, he hopes Kimmel covers it and exposes the corruption, before then addressing Kimmel directly.
“I hope that you’ll give the same type of energy to these heinous crimes when they do come out, when the names do come out, and there is an inquiry into it, that you gave to other subjects,” Rodgers said. “I’d like to put this to bed to move forward.”
What exactly did Kimmel say Monday night?
During Monday’s opening monologue, Kimmel kicked things off by recapping last week’s events.
“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 stated.
“Either [Rodgers] actually believes my name was going to be on Epstein’s list, which is insane, or the more likely scenario is he doesn’t actually believe that, he just said it because he’s mad at me for making fun of his topknot and his lies about being vaccinated,” Kimmel continued. “He’s particularly upset, I think, because I made fun of the fact that he floated this wacko idea that the UFO sightings that were in the news in February were being reported to distract us from the Epstein list.”
Kimmel showed a clip from March 2023 in which he roasted Rodgers — whom he’s called a “Karen,” “wack” and “tinfoil hatter” — for floating the conspiracy. During that episode, he suggested Rodgers revisit concussion protocol. (This was one of the “unprompted” attacks that Rodgers referenced.)
“Aaron Rodgers has a very high opinion of himself,” Kimmel added on Monday. “Because he had success on the football field, he believes himself to be an extraordinary being. He genuinely thinks that because God gave him the ability to throw a ball, he’s smarter than everyone else. The idea that his brain is just average is unfathomable to him.”
Kimmel, who went after Rodgers on his show at least twice over the athlete’s vaccination scandal, didn’t stop there.
“We learned during COVID, somehow he knows more about science than scientists. A guy who went to community college, then got into Cal on a football scholarship and didn’t graduate, someone who never spent a minute studying the human body, is an expert in the field of immunology. He put on a magic helmet, and that G made him a genius. Aaron got two A’s on his report card, they were both in the word ‘Aaron,’” Kimmel said. “Can you imagine that this hamster-brained man thinks he knows what the government is up to because he’s a quarterback doing research on YouTube and listening to podcasts? … They let him host Jeopardy for two weeks, now he knows everything.”
Kimmel went on to say Rodgers “is too arrogant to know how ignorant he is.” However, he said he’d accept an apology from Rodgers but wasn’t holding his breath thanks to the NFL star’s “Thanksgiving Day Parade-sized ego.”
“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, which is what a decent person would do, but I bet he won’t,” he added.
Will Kimmel put it to bed? Guess everyone will find out tonight.
