A day after Jimmy Kimmel threatened New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers with “court” action after Rodgers alleged the late-night talk show host’s name would be included in soon-to-be unsealed information from a civil case in connection to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Pat McAfee apologized for “being a part of it.”
Tuesday, while on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Rodgers implied Kimmel’s name would appear in court documents from a case filed against Epstein before his death. The documents include names of more than 150 people that had previously been redacted from court filings.
“That’s supposed to be coming out soon. There’s a lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, are really hoping that doesn’t come out,” Rodgers said.
Kimmel reposted a clip of the segment from “The Pat McAfee Show” on X and denied the allegation.
“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 said. “Your reckless words put my family in danger. Keep it up and we will debate the facts further in court.”
To start his show Wednesday, McAfee addressed the situation. “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—. Now, did it go too far in a lot of people’s … Jimmy Kimmel certainly said that was the case. We and I, immediately upon it happening tried to be like ‘whoa.’”
McAfee continued, “We obviously don’t like the fact that we are 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 s— and try to make light of everything. Some things, obviously people get very pissed off about especially when there that serious allegations. So we apologize for being a part of it. Can’t wait to hear what Aaron has to say about it. Hopefully, those two will just be able to settle this, not court-wise. But be able to chit-chat and move along.”
Kimmel and Rodgers have a history of feuding, and the talk show host previously made jabs at Rodgers about his stance on vaccines and theories about UFOs. In March of 2023, Kimmel called Rodgers a “Green Bay whack Packer” after Rodgers made comments on “The Pat McAfee Show” in February 2023 suggesting that news of UFOs was intentionally released to distract the public from the potential reveal of the Epstein list.
Kimmel’s show, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”, is broadcast on ABC while “The Pat McAfee Show” airs on ESPN. Both are owned by Disney.
An ESPN spokesperson declined comment to The Athletic.
(Photo of Pat McAfee: Mike Lawrie / Getty Images))
Carol Dennis is an entertainment aficionado with an eye for all things pop culture. She dives into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry, from movie premieres to music festivals. Carol’s passion for storytelling extends beyond her reporting, as she’s an aspiring screenwriter in her free time.
