A day after Jimmy Kimmel threatened New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers with a “court lawsuit” after Rodgers claimed the late-night talk show host's name would be used in soon-to-be-unsealed information from a civil lawsuit related to the Convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein apologized to Pat McAfee for “contributing to this.”
On Tuesday, Rodgers suggested on “The Pat McAfee Show” that Kimmel's name would appear in court documents in a case against Epstein before his death. The documents contain names of more than 150 people who were previously redacted from court records.
“It 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.”
To start his show on Wednesday, McAfee addressed the situation. “I can understand exactly why Jimmy Kimmel felt that way, especially regarding his position. But I think Aaron just wanted to talk. Well, did it go too far for many people? Jimmy Kimmel certainly said that was the case. We and I tried to say 'Wow' as soon as it happened.”
McAfee continued: “We obviously don’t like ever being associated with anything negative. 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 there are such serious allegations. 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.”
Kimmel and Rodgers have a long history of feuds, and the talk show host has previously attacked Rodgers over his stance on vaccines and theories about UFOs. In March 2023, Kimmel referred to Rodgers as the “Green Bay Whack Packer” after Rodgers made comments on “The Pat McAfee Show” in February 2023 in which he suggested that news of UFOs was intentionally released to warn the public of the possibility to distract from the revelation of the Epstein list.
Kimmel's show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” airs on ABC, while “The Pat McAfee Show” airs on ESPN. Both belong to Disney.
An ESPN spokesperson declined comment to The Athletic.
(Photo by Pat McAfee: Mike Lawrie / Getty Images))