Without apologizing, Aaron Rodgers responded to the uproar over his recent comments about Jimmy Kimmel by denying that he suggested the comedian had anything to worry about with the release of the Jeffrey Epstein papers.
“I completely understand how serious an allegation of pedophilia would be … so I understand that he's upset about it,” Rodgers told Pat McAfee on Tuesday's episode of the ESPN talk show.
“I’m not stupid enough to accuse you of this with absolutely zero evidence, concrete evidence,” Rodgers continued. 'That's ridiculous. I'm glad, and I think we can agree on something: 1. These crimes are heinous and 2. I'm glad you're not on the list.
A week earlier, Rodgers told McAfee, “A lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, are hoping that this list won't be made public.”
The Epstein list Rodgers was referring to is a 2015 civil defamation lawsuit against Jeffrey Epstein. The statement was revealed publicly for the first time this month and contains the names of many of Epstein's alleged clients who are accused of having sex with underage girls. Kimmel was not named in the statement.
Aaron Rodgers appeared on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday to address the ongoing controversy
Kimmel launched a blistering attack on the football player with the “hamster brain” on Monday.
“I'm glad Jimmy isn't on the list, I really am, I don't think he's the P-word,” Rodgers said.
“I don't own up to what he says about me, but as long as he understands what I actually said, that I'm not accusing him of being on a list, I'm all for moving forward.”
“I hope that when these heinous crimes come to light, he will bring the same energy that you have given to other issues that you have spent a lot of time working on.”
Kimmel initially responded on social media, accusing Rodgers of endangering his family. (Similarly, Rodgers claimed on Tuesday's McAfee show that his “sponsors have been attacked” and that he has “received death threats” over his Kimmel comments.)
Rodgers denied Tuesday that he was a victim, but also claimed that the media was trying to cancel him.
“That’s the media’s game plan and that’s what they’re doing,” Rodgers said. “They’re trying to cancel, you know? And it's not just me.'
Rodgers also added several new attacks against Kimmel, who targeted the Super Bowl champion last year over his refusal to get vaccinated.
“He made a lot of comments about unvaccinated people and mentioned that they didn’t deserve treatment,” Rodgers said. “If they are in the hospital, they should not be assigned a hospital bed.”
“He made comments about repurposed drugs that were used around the world that had an incredible safety profile that were derogatory.” He mentioned that Ivermectin was a horse paste and promoted this whole narrative for a long time.
“He gave a platform to one of the biggest spreaders of misinformation during COVID, Dr.” [Anthony] Fauci.
“In my opinion, he ripped me off about the vaccine, and that turned out to be right.” [a loss for Kimmel] “In many cases the vaccination was not safe and effective as we were told,” Rodgers continued.
The late-night TV host responded angrily to X, saying Rodgers' claims had “put my family in danger.”
On Monday, Kimmel responded with a blistering attack on the “hamster brain” football player and demanded an apology for his comments.
Kimmel said, “If I do something wrong, which happens on rare occasions, do you know what I do?” I apologize for that, and that's exactly what Aaron Rodgers should do.
“What a decent person would do.” But I bet that won't be the case. If he does, I will accept his apology and move on. But I suspect he won't apologize, I hope I'm wrong.'
The 56-year-old comedian added: “Aaron had two A's on his report card, both of which were in the word Aaron.”
“Can you imagine this hoarder brain thinking he knows what the government is up to because he’s a quarterback who researches YouTube and listens to podcasts?”
It was those comments that seemed to get Rodgers' attention, even though he repeatedly stressed that he didn't care about Kimmel's barbs.
In particular, Rodgers echoed Kimmel's suggestion that he was “a guy who went to community college, then came to Calgary on a football scholarship and didn't graduate.”
“Someone who has never spent a minute studying the human body is an expert in immunology,” Kimmel said. “He just cast a spell [Green Bay Packers] Helmet and that 'G' made him a genius.”
On Tuesday, Rodgers repeatedly referenced Kimmel's insults, saying at one point, “You think I'm an idiot and have made a lot of comments about my intelligence.”
“My training at JuCo [junior college] and my three semesters at Cal, which I'm very proud of, worked out for me,” Rodgers later added.