New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers braved the cold on Sunday to support his teammates from the sidelines in his first public appearance since claiming Jimmy Kimmel would be named on the list of Jeffrey Epstein’s associates.
A list of disgraced financier Epstein’s associates from court filings was made public this week and prior to its release Rodgers, 40, claimed that late show host Kimmel could be among the names on the list.
The NFL star made the claims during his weekly Tuesday appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, prompting the seething comedian to threaten legal action.
But the four-time MVP appeared to have brushed off his bitter feud with Kimmel as he wrapped up to watch the Jets’ season finale in frigid New England on Sunday.
New York traveled to a snowy Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, where temperatures dropped to 35F to end its season against the New England Patriots.
Aaron Rodgers was seen for the first time since accusing Jimmy Kimmel of being on the Epstein list during his weekly appearance on the Pat McAfee show on Tuesday
The Jets quarterback braved the cold on Sunday to support his teammates against the Patriots
Rodgers claimed that late show host Jimmy Kimmel could be among the names on the list
Rodgers hasn’t played since Week 1 when he tore his Achilles just four snaps into his debut for the New York Jets.
But despite his failed attempt to make a miraculous comeback during the playoffs – with New York’s postseason hopes over in December – the signal caller has been a regular feature on the sidelines to continue supporting his teammates.
However, this week’s appearance comes amid more controversy for the veteran than most after his fiery exchange with Kimmel.
Rodgers escalated their dispute, which was triggered by a condom jibe over the NFL player’s unvaccinated status from Kimmel back in 2021, on McAfee’s show earlier this week.
The former Super Bowl winner’s ‘joke’ came as he started outlining a conspiracy theory about the colors of the NFL’s Super Bowl emblems and predicting the teams who will play the big game that season.
The panel were left baffled by the NFL star’s long-winded explanation, and co-host AJ Hawk interrupted to jokingly ask if it involved the Epstein list.
The former Super Bowl winner seized on the opportunity to slam his longtime nemesis, saying: ‘There’s a lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, who are hoping that list doesn’t come out.’
It sparked an expletive-laden retort from the incandescent TV host, who posted on X: ‘Dear A***hole: 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 comedian fumed.
The 40-year-old wrapped up to watch the Jets’ season finale in frigid New England on Sunday
The four-time MVP appeared to have brushed off his bitter feud with Kimmel on Sunday
The former Super Bowl winner was seen chatting to Patriots head coach Bill Belichick
New York traveled to a snowy Gillette Stadium, where temperatures dropped to 35F
‘Your reckless words put my family in danger. Keep it up and we will debate the facts further in court.’
McAfee then joked the former Green Bay Packers quarterback had been ‘waiting in his wine cellar’ for the release of the court documents.
‘I’ll tell you what, if that list comes out, I will definitely be popping some sort of bottle,’ Rodgers said.
McAfee himself addressed the outrage on Wednesday, claiming the New York Jets quarterback was ‘just s***-talking Kimmel’, who he has a long history of tension with.
Yet according to Front Office Sports’ Michael McCarthy, ESPN has distanced itself from Rodgers’ comments and admitted he never should have made them in the first place.
Mike Foss, the network’s senior vice president, is quoted as saying: ‘Aaron made a dumb and factually inaccurate joke about Jimmy Kimmel. It should never have happened. We all realized that in the moment.’
Foss, however, believes Rodgers will continue to appear on the show going forward. ‘The show will continue to evolve. It wouldn’t surprise me if Aaron’s role evolves with it.’
