Jimmy Kimmel Slams Aaron Rodgers Ahead of Pat McAfee Return

Jimmy Kimmel shredded Aaron Rodgers in a scathing, seven-minute monologue on Monday night, ahead of the quarterback’s appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday.

The comedian called out Rodgers on social media last week, after the football player claimed that Kimmel would appear on Jeffrey Epstein’s associates list.

Newsweek has reached out to Jimmy Kimmel for comment via email and to Aaron Rodgers via Instagram.

On January 3, documents revealing more than 100 people linked with Epstein were released. He was arrested in 2019, with the billionaire accused of trafficking dozens of underage girls.

The disgraced hedge fund manager rubbed shoulders with politicians, tech moguls and A-list celebrities, with several public figures included among his friends, acquaintances and business associates.

Being named in the documents does not mean someone was involved in Epstein’s operations or has been accused of any wrongdoing, but being linked to the late financier can stain a public figure’s reputation.

Rodgers made the comments about Kimmel on January 2, the day before the first batch of documents were made public. During an interview with pundit Pat McAfee, the New York Jets star said, referring to the documents: “A lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, are really hoping that doesn’t come out.”

Kimmel took to X, formerly Twitter, to refute Rodgers’ comments.

“Dear A********: for the record, I’ve not 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,” the 56-year-old wrote. “Your reckless words put my family in danger. Keep it up and we will debate the facts in court.”

Although a number of big names have featured in the documents, Kimmel is not one of them. He addressed the feud with Rodgers on Monday’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live, dubbing the 40-year-old “Karen Rodgers.”

The nickname is a reference to the “Karen” meme, which pokes fun at entitled, middle-aged white women. A “Karen” demands “to speak to the manager” for petty reasons, blows issues out of proportion, believes in anti-vaccination conspiracy theories and perpetuates racism, usually through microaggressions.

In the monologue, Kimmel once again refuted the claims that his name was on Epstein’s list.

“My name wasn’t on it, isn’t on it, and won’t ever be on it,” he told the audience. “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.”

He called people who believe he associated with Epstein “delusional,” mocking conspiracy theories surrounding himself and other celebrities falsely linked with the sex offender.

“I hear from these people often. My wife hears from them, my kids hear from them, my poor mailman hears from these people,” Kimmel said. “And now we’re hearing from lots more of them thanks to Aaron Rodgers.”

The talk show star pondered Rodgers’ reasoning, suggesting the NFL star was mad at him for ridiculing his topknot hairstyle and his “lies about being vaccinated.”

Kimmel previously dubbed Rodgers a “tin foiler hatter,” after he suggested a link between February 2023 UFO sightings and the release of the Epstein associates list.

“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 explained. “That was Aaron’s theory that he shared and I mocked.”

He believes Rodgers’ recent comments are in retaliation for these jokes, broadcast in March 2023, and accused the quarterback of having a “Thanksgiving Day parade-sized ego.”

“He decided he would insinuate that I am a pedophile,” Kimmel continued. “This is how these nuts do it now. You don’t like Trump, you’re a pedophile. It’s their go-to move.”

Kimmel suggested that Rodgers’ “has a very high opinion of himself” because of his success on the field, claiming “the idea that his brain is just average is unfathomable to him.”

The comedian also lambasted Rodgers’ past remarks about the COVID-19 vaccine. In 2021, Rodgers claimed he was allergic to an ingredient in the mRNA vaccines used to fight the coronavirus, and had instead created a personal treatment plan to combat the illness.

“Aaron got two As on his report card, they were both in the word Aaron,” Kimmel continued. “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.”

Kimmel said he supports a sports personality’s right to express their opinions and partake in other forms of media, but that “saying someone is a pedophile is not an opinion, nor is it trash talk.”

“We say a lot of things on this show, but we don’t make up lies,” Kimmel said, explaining the distinction between Rodgers’s Epstein remarks and the show’s comedy routines.

“We have a team of people who work very hard to sift through facts and reputable sources before I make a joke,” he said. “The truth still matters.”

Concluding the monologue, Kimmel said he is not expecting an apology from Rodgers. However, if the football player does want to make amends, he will happily accept.

Rodgers plans to address the issue with Kimmel on Tuesday’s (January 9) episode of The Pat McAfee Show.

Rodgers deflected reporters’ questions on the topic after the New York Jets vs New England Patriots game on Sunday, saying: “I’m going to talk about it [Tuesday] on the show. Tune in.”