Aaron Rodgers and Jimmy Kimmel are both on Disney's payroll. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
An ESPN executive responded Friday to Aaron Rodgers' recent controversial comments on “The Pat McAfee Show,” three days after the New York Jets quarterback suggested late-night host Jimmy Kimmel was exposed as an acquaintance of convicted child trafficker Jeffrey Epstein would.
In a brief statement to Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports, Mike Foss, ESPN's senior vice president of digital and studio production, criticized the unsubstantiated claim about a Disney colleague but acknowledged that Rodgers' paid ESPN appearances would continue.
From FOS:
“Pat announced today that he plans to have Aaron join the show on Tuesday. “Aaron made a stupid and factually inaccurate joke about Jimmy Kimmel,” Foss told Front Office Sports on Friday. “The show will continue to evolve. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Aaron’s role evolve with this.”
Foss too allegedly told McCarthy: “It should never have happened. We all noticed that at that moment.”
The network itself issued a statement early Saturday afternoon.
“No one is more committed to and invested in the success of ESPN than Norby Williamson,” the network said in a statement. “At the same time, we are excited about the multiplatform success we have seen on The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN. We will address this matter internally and will have no further comment.”
The controversy erupted Tuesday as Rodgers discussed the upcoming release of the “Epstein List,” an unsealing of court documents in a case involving Epstein that was said to contain a list of alleged Epstein clients and co-conspirators. Rodgers, who has clashed with Kimmel in the past, said Kimmel did not want the list made public:
“A lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, are really hoping this doesn't come out… When this list comes out, I'll definitely be popping some sort of bottle.”
Unsurprisingly, Kimmel was furious at the insinuation that he was personally acquainted with a child trafficker. He quote-tweeted a clip of the comments threatening to take the former NFL MVP to court:
“Dear Asshole: For the record, I have not met Epstein, flown with him, visited him, or had any contact with him, and you will not find my name on any “list” other than the obviously false nonsense , which is so quiet. Insane people like you can't seem to distinguish it from reality. Your reckless words are putting my family in danger. Keep it up and we will continue to discuss the facts in court.”
The situation between Aaron Rodgers, Pat McAfee and Jimmy Kimmel at ESPN is becoming more and more chaotic
To make matters worse, both Kimmel and Rodgers are on the payroll of parent company Disney.
Kimmel has hosted “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on ABC since 2003, while McAfee confirmed last year that he pays Rodgers for his weekly appearances on his show. The nature of those payments actually became another sticking point this week, as Front Office Sports reported that Rodgers had “a deal” with McAfee's show that would be difficult to overturn.
Rodgers' headline-grabbing performances are one of the factors behind McAfee's meteoric rise in the media in recent years. After sporadic appearances as an analyst on the ESPN networks, the former Indianapolis Colts player brought his show to ESPN last May in a five-year, $85 million contract.
His tenure there wasn't without bumps, and Rodgers' most recent tenure even hit McAfee acknowledged that Kimmel was right and downplayed the seriousness of his friend's allegations On Wednesday:
“I can understand exactly why Jimmy Kimmel felt that way, especially given his position. But I think Aaron just wanted to talk shit.”
Then on Friday, McAfee ratcheted up the drama, He claimed there was an active attempt at ESPN to “sabotage” his show. And Call top manager Norby Williamson by name. Get McAfee a recommendation from former ESPN anchor Jemele Hill on the latter front.
The source of McAfee's complaints about Williamson appeared to be a New York Post column by Andrew Marchand published on Thursday headlined “Pat McAfee Must Show Better Ratings to Be Worth $85 Million to ESPN – and Be a Headache.”
In the meantime, it remains to be seen how far Kimmel's wrath will reach. The situation was reported to be a “can of worms” for Disney, with Front Office Sports reporting that Kimmel could take his grievances to the forefront even if he decides not to take them to court:
“This will go as far as Kimmel wants it,” warns a source. “[Kimmel] is the non-cartoon face of Disney. …Jimmy Kimmel Live! is five days a week, 52 weeks a year. He prints money for Disney. … He’s also a very sensitive guy.”