Aaron Rodgers insisted he was definitely not trying to link Jimmy Kimmel to Jeffrey Epstein when he seemed to link Jimmy Kimmel to Jeffrey Epstein during an interview on the The Pat McAfee Show last week.
After a week of not-so-vague lawsuit threats, apologies, and scathing late-night monologues, the quarterback returned to the scene of the original crime (McAfee’s show) to try to set the record straight. For quick background, during a previous appearance before the then-impending Epstein document dump, Rodgers said he was ready to pop “some sort of bottle” once the list dropped, adding, “a lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, are really hoping that doesn’t come out.”
Most importantly, from a litigation standpoint, Rodgers was adamant that he was not trying to accuse or imply that Kimmel was a pedophile, or had an association with Epstein.
“I totally understand how serious an allegation of pedophilia would be. So him to be upset about that, I get it,” he said, adding: “I’m not stupid enough — even though you think I’m an idiot, and you’ve 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.”
He continued: “So I’m glad, and I think we can agree on something, it’s that, one: those crimes are heinous; and two: I’m glad you’re not on a list because those who are on this list — and this I think we can agree on — that, at minimum, there should be an inquiry into their involvement. Especially if they went to the island. And at maximum, there should be an investigation into it.”
As for Rodgers’ attempt to explain what exactly he meant with his Kimmel/Epstein comment, the quarterback seemed to suggest he believed Kimmel wasn’t interested in seeing such corruption exposed. That interpretation ostensibly stemmed from the origins of his beef with Kimmel, which goes back to the pandemic, Rodgers’ thoughts on Covid-19 and the vaccine, and the numerous jokes Kimmel has made about all that through the past few years.
In the lead up to speaking on the Kimmel/Epstein comments, Rodgers reiterated a lot of that. He mentioned the jokes Kimmel made about unvaccinated people, Rodgers’ own supposed “immunization” to Covid, and people thinking the horse dewormer ivermectin was a legitimate way to treat Covid; he also accused Kimmel of “giving a platform to one of the biggest spreaders of misinformation during the Covid times, Dr. Fauci”; and made a series of dubious claims about the safety and efficacy of the Covid-19 vaccine.
In light of all that, Rodgers said of his remark that people like Kimmel were “really hoping” the Epstein info doesn’t come out: “I was referring to the fact that, if there’s a list — which again, this hasn’t come out yet, this is just a deposition — and there are names on it, then that would be the second time that a soft brain, junior college student, wacko, anti-vax, antisemite, purveyor, spreader of misinformation, conspiracy theorist, MAGA, whatever other things have been said by him and the media, would be right twice.”
After Rodgers’ initial comments last week, Kimmel quickly responded on Twitter, stating he’d never “met, flown with, visited, or had any contact whatsoever with Epstein, nor will you find my name on any ‘list’ other than the clearly phony nonsense that soft-brained wackos like yourself can’t seem to distinguish from reality.” Kimmel appeared to threaten legal action as well, saying, “Your reckless words put my family in danger. Keep it up and we will debate the facts further in court.”
Kimmel further addressed Rodgers’ comments when he returned to Jimmy Kimmel Live! last night for his first show of the year. During his monologue, Kimmel said Rodgers “has the right to express any opinion he wants, but saying someone is a pedophile is not an opinion, nor is it trash talk.”
He also stressed a distinction between the jokes he makes about people, and the insinuation in Rodgers’ comments. “We don’t make up lies,” Kimmel said, adding: “We have a team of people who work very hard to sift through facts and reputable sources before I make a joke and that’s an important distinction.”
Prior to Rodgers’ return to The Pat McAfee Show, McAfee himself issued an apology, saying, “Some things obviously people get very pissed off about, especially when they’re that serious allegations,” McAfee continued. “So we apologize for being a part of it. I can’t wait to hear what Aaron has to say about it. Hopefully those two will just be able to settle this, you know, not work wise, but be able to chit-chat and move along.”
