Jimmy Kimmel addressed his recent feud with New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers in his first monologue of the year on Monday night, calling him “Karen Rodgers” because he implied that Kimmel's name would appear on sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's client list.
During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Jan. 2, Rodgers said, “A lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, are really hoping this doesn't come to light.” In response, Kimmel took to X (formerly known as Twitter ) to dismiss the lawsuit and even threatened legal action. He wrote: “Keep up the good work and we will continue to discuss the facts in court.”
After confirming that he had never met Epstein or been on his “plane, his island or anything like that,” Kimmel said Rodgers was probably just trying to get revenge on him because he had previously seen him on “Live!” roasted.
“Either he actually believes that my name would be on Epstein's list, which is crazy, or the more likely scenario is that he doesn't actually believe that and just said it because he's mad at me for speaking out about his Topknot made fun of his lies about the vaccination,” said Kimmel. “I think he's particularly upset because I mocked him for promoting the crazy idea that the UFO sightings that were in the news in February were meant to distract us from the Epstein list.”
After playing the clip in which Kimmel mocked Rodgers for his conspiracy theory, the host said it “might be time” for the athlete to “reconsider concussion protocol.”
“Aaron Rodgers has a very high opinion of himself. Because of his success on the football field, he considers himself to be an extraordinary being. He truly believes he is smarter than everyone else because God gave him the ability to throw a ball. “The idea that his brain is just average is unimaginable to him,” Kimmel continued. “We learned during COVID that he somehow knows more about science than scientists. 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 the field of immunology. He put on a magical helmet and that G made him a genius. Aaron got two. Like on his report card, both were in the word “Aaron,” OK? 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?”
Although Kimmel considers Rodgers “too arrogant to know how ignorant he is,” he said that if he apologized for it, he would accept an apology from the footballer.
“But I bet he won’t,” Kimmel said. “If he does, you know what I’ll do? I’ll accept his apology and move on, but he probably won’t.”
A representative for Rodgers did not immediately respond to Variety's request for comment.
Kimmel ended his monologue by taking a sharp dig at former President Donald Trump.
“By the way, if you're looking for someone who was actually a friend of Jeffrey Epstein, who called him a great guy and bragged about his affinity for younger women, then I have very good news for you, Epstein hunters,” Kimmel said as one A clip was played of Trump and Epstein talking. “I found one for you!”
Watch Kimmel's full monologue below.