Pat McAfee has finally addressed the controversy surrounding his show after New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers went viral on Tuesday for his Jeffrey Epstein comments that even dragged Jimmy Kimmel.
While McAfee tried to make sense of the whole situation and explained their side, he made sure to apologize–not for what Rodgers said but for being involved in it. In the end, he doesn’t want his show to be promoting such ideas.
What Happened With New York Jets QB Aaron Rodgers, Jimmy Kimmel?
For those who missed it, Rodgers made headlines after he made his weekly appearance on The Pat McAfee show and talked about the controversial Epstein list. The Jets QB turned heads when he said that “a lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel are really hoping that doesn’t come out.”
Rodgers then proceeded to joke that he “will be popping some sort of bottle” once the Epstein list comes out and all the people involved with the deceased billionaire and sex offender are made public.
Sure enough, Kimmel didn’t like the fact that Rodgers insinuated that he’d be on the Epstein list. The TV host and comedian then took to X to blast the Jets signal-caller and threaten to sue him for his remarks.
“Dear Aasshole [sic]: 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,” Kimmel wrote.
“Your reckless words put my family in danger. Keep it up and we will debate the facts further in court.”
Many also went to criticize Rodgers, including veteran commentator Stephen A. Smith who said in his show on Wednesday that those kinds of things are not something to joke about. After all, the Epstein issue is a serious subject that shouldn’t be made light of.
Smith also urged Rodgers to apologize.
Pat McAfee Speaks Out on Aaron Rodgers Issue
Amid all the buzz and negative publicity that Aaron Rodgers’ comments created, Pat McAfee used some time from his show on Wednesday to address the matter and apologize.
McAfee noted that Rodgers was talking “s**t” to Kimmel given their history. For those unaware, Kimmel previously mocked and insulted Rodgers in his show as the then-Green Bay Packers QB kept talking about the Epstein list and UFOs at the time.
Kimmel called Rodgers–who has never been shy in expressing controversial takes–a “tin foil hatter” and “whack-Packer.” Obviously, Rodgers was trying to get back at the TV host for that.
McAfee indicated as much, though he admitted it’s no excuse for making a joke of a serious matter.
“I can see exactly why Jimmy Kimmel felt the way he felt, especially with his position. But I think Aaron was just trying to talk s**t. But did it go too far? Jimmy Kimmel certainly said that was the case,” McAfee shared, via Awful Announcing.
“We obviously don’t like the fact that we’re associated with anything negative ever. We like our show to be an uplifting one, a happy one, a fun one. But it’s because we talk shit and try to make light of everything. Some things obviously people get very pissed off about, especially when they’re that serious allegations, so we apologize for being a part of it.”
"I can see exactly why Jimmy Kimmel felt the way he felt, especially with his position. But I think Aaron was just trying to talk shit."
Pat McAfee opens his show by responding to the fallout and threats of legal action coming out of his Tuesday interview with Aaron Rodgers pic.twitter.com/UCv1yAp62Z
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 3, 2024
It remains to be seen if Rodgers will appear again on The Pat McAfee Show and what ESPN will do about the issue. Nonetheless, it’ll certainly be interesting to see how the New York Jets quarterback responds to everything that’s happening.