Mike Foss, an ESPN executive vice president who oversees “The Pat McAfee Show,” called Aaron Rodgers' comments about Jimmy Kimmel's name being linked to a lawsuit against convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein “a stupid and factually inaccurate joke.” and said that Rodgers would be back on the show on Tuesday.
“Pat announced today that he plans to have Aaron join the show on Tuesday. “Aaron made a stupid and factually incorrect joke about Jimmy Kimmel,” Foss said Friday in a statement shared by ESPN.
Rodgers' comments sparked an immediate reaction from Kimmel on Tuesday. The late-night talk show host threatened Rodgers with legal action following the comment.
McAfee opened his show on Wednesday by apologizing for the situation.
“We obviously don’t like being associated with anything negative ever,” he said. “We want our show to be uplifting, joyful and entertaining. But that's because we talk and try to take everything lightly. People are obviously very angry about some things, especially when the allegations are serious. Therefore we apologize for our involvement in this. I can't wait to hear what Aaron has to say about it. Hopefully the two can just sort things out, not in court. But be able to chat and carry on.”
On Tuesday, Rodgers suggested that Kimmel's name could appear in court documents from a case against Epstein before his death. The documents contain names of more than 150 people who were previously redacted from court records.
“That should come out soon. “A lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, are really hoping this doesn't come out,” Rodgers said.
Kimmel reposted a clip of the segment from “The Pat McAfee Show” on X and denied the claim.
“For the record, I have not met, flown with, visited, or had any contact with Epstein, and you will not find my name on any 'list' other than the obviously false nonsense that is “It doesn't seem any different from reality,” Kimmel said. “Your reckless words have put my family in danger. Keep it up and we will continue to discuss the facts in court.”
Foss's statement follows McAfee on Friday accusing ESPN executive Norby Williamson of sabotaging his program by leaking false viewership information to the media.
“There are some people who are actively trying to sabotage us from ESPN,” McAfee said. “More specifically, Norby Williamson is the guy trying to sabotage our program.”
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