A timeline of Aaron Rodgers' biggest controversies
AP Photo/Bryan Woolston
- Aaron Rodgers is currently in a feud with late-night host Jimmy Kimmel.
- Kimmel demanded an apology after Rodgers suggested Kimmel had ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
- The New York Jets quarterback has also had public quarrels with his family.
New York Jets star Aaron Rodgers is in hot water again after suggesting Jimmy Kimmel had ties to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In early January 2023, Rodgers suggested during an interview on ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show" that Kimmel was worried about the release of court documents concerning Epstein and his associates.
Kimmel denied Rodgers' claim and demanded an apology during Monday's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" episode. Rodgers was dropped as a regular guest from "The Pat McAfee Show," but returned the next day.
This is far from the first time Rodgers has made headlines for things other than his athletic career. Here's a breakdown of Rodgers' biggest controversies.
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Rodgers' family feud was first made public when his younger brother Jordan Rodgers competed on the 2016 season of "The Bachelorette."
In episode seven, Jordan warned Bachelorette JoJo Fletcher that she wouldn't get to meet his brother Aaron during his hometown date because the quarterback had distanced himself from the family.
"It's just the way he's chosen to do life. I chose to stay close with my family, and my parents, and my brother," Jordan said.
In episode eight, Jordan's other brother Luke Rodgers spoke to Fletcher about the rift.
"It pains both of us, like, not to have that relationship," he said. "We miss our brother. I trust that God brings things full circle and that everything would just get back to us being a family."
Later that month, Aaron Rodgers refused to address his relationship with his family during an interview with the ABC news affiliate WISN 12 News.
"I haven't seen the show, to be honest with you, so it hasn't really affected me a whole lot," he said. "As far as those kinds of things go, I've always found that it's a little inappropriate to talk publicly about some family matters, so I'm not going to speak on those things, but I wish him well in the competition."
Jordan ended up winning the show Fletcher's heart. The couple announced their engagement in August 2016. Jordan told People on a conference call that he would invite Rodgers to his wedding despite their estrangement.
"There's no scenario in which I wouldn't want my entire family at a wedding, so absolutely, that's something all of our family wants and hopes for at some point," he said.
Jordan Rodgers and JoJo Fletcher married on May 14, 2022. Aaron Rodgers did not appear in photos published by People from the event, and it's unclear if he attended the ceremony.
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In 2017, Aaron Rogers' father Ed gave a little insight into the feud during an interview with The New York Times.
Ed confirmed that Rodgers had not spoken to the rest of the family since the end of 2014.
"Fame can change things," he said.
Ed said the rift should have been kept private, but he's glad he no longer has to lie to people now that the secret is out.
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Rodgers stopped speaking to his family a few months after he began dating Olivia Munn, leading to rumors that she had caused the rift.
Munn and Rodgers split in April 2017, People reported.
In May 2018, more than a year after Munn and Rodgers split, Munn told Andy Cohen on his SiriusXM radio show "Andy Cohen Live" that Rodgers had not spoken to his family for eight months before they started dating.
"My last day when I was filming 'The Newsroom,' I spent the day in my trailer just encouraging him to just have an honest conversation with your parents," she said. "They had a really nice conversation."
Munn said the family made up briefly, but the relationship went sour again.
"I do believe that family and fame and success can be really complicated if their dreams are connected to your success," she said.
"At the end of the day, there are a lot of complications. I don't think either side of the road is clean. But I do think it's not okay when you try to stand on someone's shoulders and then throw dirt in their face, which is what I think they did with him," Munn added.
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When California experienced one of the deadliest wildfires in the state's history in 2018, Rodgers announced on Twitter that he was donating $1 million to help those impacted by the fires and encouraged his followers to contribute.
His brother Jordan responded to the post, criticizing him for not contacting his family, who live in California.
"PLEASE DONATE, SPREAD AWARENESS & SEND LOVE," he wrote in a now-deleted post according to People magazine. "But when your own Mom is home alone during the fires, car packed ready to evacuate, & you miss the fundamental first step of compassion; calling your parents to make sure they are safe…. Everything else just feels like an act."
In recent years, Rodgers discussed ending his feud with his family.
In 2022, Rodgers said on the "Aubrey Marcus" podcast that he has no bitterness toward his family.
"I do believe in healing, and I believe in the possibility of reconciliation at some point," Rodgers said.
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In August 2021, Rodgers dodged questions about his vaccination status during a press conference by saying he was "immunized." This backfired in November 2021 when Rodgers tested positive for COVID-19 and had to miss the Green Bay Packers' game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
During a virtual interview on "The Pat McAfee Show," Rodgers confirmed he had contracted COVID-19 but said he didn't lie about being "immunized."
"Had there been a follow-up to my statement that I've been immunized, I would have said, 'I'm not some sort of anti-vax, flat earther. I am somebody who's a critical thinker," he said.
"I believe strongly in bodily autonomy and the ability to make choices for your body. Not to have to acquiesce to some woke culture or crazed group of individuals who say you have to do something."
Rodgers said he found an alternative "immunization protocol" because he was allergic to ingredients in two of the FDA-approved vaccines. Rodgers said his teammate and the NFL were aware. However, NFL experts found no evidence that the treatments worked.
"I consulted with a now good friend of mine, Joe Rogan, after he got Covid, and I've been doing a lot of the stuff that he recommended," he added.
In light of the scandal, Kimmel began mocking Rodgers during his opening monologues on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"
"The only thing worse than not getting vaccinated when you're in close proximity with other people is letting them think you're vaccinated when you're not," he said on his show. "It's basically the Covid equivalent of the condom fell off."
In addition, Kimmel conducted a parody interview with an actor who portrayed Rodgers' doctor on the talk show.
This is likely where the bad blood between Kimmel and Rodgers began.
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Rodgers' former Green Bay Packers teammate, DeShone Kizer, said on "The Breneman Show" podcast that Rodgers was interested in numerous conspiracy theories.
During their first meeting, Kizer said Rodgers even asked him if he believed in the 9/11 attacks.
"I mean, why wouldn't I? He was like, 'You should read up on that,'" Kizer added. "It ended up being a real thought experiment where he wanted me to go back and look into some of the conspiracies around it and provoke a lot of great conversation."
Kizer said he bonded with Rodgers through discussions about business, history, and conspiracy theories.
"Inner earth. Moon landing. Reptile people," Kizer said, listing theories they discussed.
Rodgers has not commented on Kizer's interview.
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In February 2023, the US military shot down three unidentified aerial objects in North American airspace.
While discussing the incident on "The Pat McAfee Show," Rodgers suggested the story was a distraction from other important things.
"Did you hear about the Epstein client list about to be released?" Rodgers said. "There's some files that have some names on it that might be getting released pretty soon."
Kimmel poked fun at Rodgers' theory, calling him a "tin foil hatter" on his talk show.
Another Green Bay Packers player, David Bakhtiari, defended his teammate on X by suggesting Kimmel was specifically trying to avoid the Epstein news.
"Tell me you're on the Jeffrey Epstein client list, without telling me you're on the Jeffrey Epstein client list…." he wrote.
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Rodgers came under fire in the first two weeks of January after suggesting on "The Pat McAfee Show" that Kimmel was worried about the release of Epstein's client list.
"There's a lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, that are really hoping that doesn't come out," Rodgers said on January 2.
There isn't an actual client list, but court documents containing the names of Epstein's associates were unsealed in January.
Kimmel threatened legal action against Rodgers in a post on X. On January 8, the late-night host demanded an apology from Rodgers during an episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"
"Saying someone is a pedophile is not an opinion, nor is it trash talk," Kimmel said.
Kimmel also mocked Rodgers' intelligence and made subtle references to Rodgers on his talk show later that week.
Rodgers appeared on "The Pat McAfee Show" on January 9 and denied calling Kimmel a pedophile.
"I'm glad that Jimmy is not on the list. I really am, and I don't believe he's the P-word," he said, but stopped short of apologizing to Kimmel.
On January 10, McAfee announced that Rodgers would no longer appear on the show for the rest of the NFL season.
However, later that day, McAfee said in a post on X that Rodgers will continue to make appearances and the show will focus only on sports rather than politics.
"He'll make random surprise welcomed pop ins during big events or offseason adventures but, it's always been a season thing," McAfee wrote. "I never said he'll never be on the show again. I hope he chooses to still chat with us."
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