Pat McAfee says Aaron Rodgers is no longer appearing on his show
Former NFL punter Pat McAfee says Aaron Rodgers is no longer appearing on his ESPN show after the New York Jets player's recent comments made about comedian Jimmy Kimmel and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
McAfee said Wednesday that Rodgers, who typically appears on the "Pat McAfee Show" on Tuesdays, won't anymore this season. He didn't say whether the quarterback – whose NFL season is over – would be back later this year.
"So, Aaron Rodgers Tuesday season four is done," he said. "There are going to be a lot of people happy with that, myself included, to be honest with you. The way it ended, it got real loud."
"We live in a country that has freedom of speech, but you're going to have to deal with consequences of your freedom of speech," he said.
Rodgers' first season with the Jets ended as the team failed to string enough wins for the postseason. The four-time NFL MVP played less than a handful of snaps this season, suffering an Achilles injury against the Buffalo Bills early on.
McAfee said the show was "lucky" to have Rodgers, but he acknowledged the star quarterback's thoughts and opinions "piss off a lot of people."
His announcement comes a day after Rodgers responded to Kimmel, who threatened legal action over Rodgers' comments that appeared to imply Kimmel might be linked to Epstein, who died in jail facing charges related to alleged sex trafficking and conspiracy. Kimmel angrily denied it, and his name is not mentioned in any of the newly released documents related to Epstein. On Monday, Kimmel started his show by bringing up his recent dispute with Rodgers and called on him to apologize. In his comments on Tuesday, Rodgers said he was "glad" Kimmel was not on any list and did not apologize.
The "Pat McAfee Show" is under ESPN and Jimmy Kimmel Live! airs on ABC. Both ABC and ESPN are Disney properties.
The back-and-forth between the TV host and the QB goes back to 2021, when Kimmel criticized Rodgers for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine after the then-Green Bay Packers player misled the public by saying he was "immunized" against the virus. And last year, Kimmel poked fun at Rodgers after Rodgers suggested on McAfee's show that the increased discussion over UFO sightings could be a distraction from Epstein's client list.
Since last week, hundreds of documents have been released that were part of a now-settled civil lawsuit against British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell — who was found guilty of conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse underage girls for at least a decade— brought by Virginia Giuffre, who accused Maxwell of recruiting her for abuse. Much of the information in the documents has been previously reported, and many of those whose names are mentioned are not accused of any wrongdoing.