Aaron Rodgers Claims Kimmel-Epstein Comments Were Misinterpreted Because He's 'the Anti-Vax Guy'
Aaron Rodgers thinks the media's out to get him.
During a recent guest appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, the New York Jets quarterback — who missed most of the season due to an injury — addressed his heated feud with Jimmy Kimmel after claiming the talk show host could be connected to disgraced pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Tensions exploded last month when Rodgers appeared on The Pat McAfee Show and declared, "a lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, are hoping [the list of Epstein's allies] doesn’t come out."
By name dropping Kimmel in the viral interview, many assumed Rodgers was accusing the television personality of having ties to the late s-- offender — though the professional athlete insisted he meant no such thing.
"So when you were saying that he doesn’t want that list to come out, you weren’t saying that he was on that list," host Joe Rogan asked the NFL star for clarification, to which Rodgers confirmed.
"Nobody watched the f------ clip. That’s why," Rodgers angrily alleged. "They just saw a headline [and said], 'Oh, it's the anti-vax guy again. Let's f------ hammer him again.'"
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Rodgers and Kimmel's ongoing feud dates back to February 2023, when the former Green Bay Packers quarterback claimed UFO sightings happening at the time were an attempted distraction from the looming release of Epstein's list — which included the names of various celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Cate Blanchett, Bruce Willis and others.
(While some of Hollywood's biggest stars were mentioned in the list, which was finally revealed in January, it doesn't mean the hotshots have been accused of any involvement in Epstein's s-- trafficking ring or crimes, nor does it indicate the celebrities have done any wrongdoing.)
After Rodgers tried making the questionable connection between UFOs and Epstein, Kimmel joked during a monologue on his comedic talk show: "It might be time to revisit that concussion protocol, Aaron."
Nearly one year later, Rodgers apparently still held a grudge about Kimmel's mockery, possibly prompting his January remarks attempting to detrimentally tie Kimmel to Epstein.
Kimmel was enraged by Rodgers' comments, and even threatened to take legal action against the 40-year-old if he continued to use the talk show star's name in a negative light.
"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. Your reckless words put my family in danger. Keep it up and we will debate the facts further in court," Kimmel wrote in via X (formerly named Twitter) at the time, directly tagging Rodgers.