Jimmy Kimmel didn’t hold back when it came to addressing his high-profile feud with Aaron Rodgers during his first show of the new year on Monday.
Kimmel came out swinging in his monologue, taking aim at Rodgers after the New York Jets quarterback suggested — during a podcast appearance on ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show earlier this month — that Kimmel could be among the names listed on the Jeffrey Epstein flight log, which had not yet been released.
“Did you hear this story about me and Aaron Rodgers? Out of the blue, [he] insinuated that I was nervous because the Jeffrey Epstein list was coming out. He said I was hoping it wouldn’t and that he was going to pop a bottle of something to celebrate when he did,” Kimmel shared in the start of his episode. “And then it did come out and of course my name wasn’t on it, and won’t ever be on it.”
“I don’t know Jeffrey Epstein, I’ve never met Jeffrey Epstein, I’m not on a list, I was not on a plane, not on an island, or anything ever,” Kimmel added.
“I suggested that, if Aaron wanted to make false and very damaging statements like that, that we should do it in court so he could share his proof with, like, a judge,” continued Kimmel, referring to a tweet he posted threatening to take Rodgers to court. “Because when you hear a guy who won a Super Bowl and did all the State Farm commercials say something like this, a lot of people believe it.”
“A lot of delusional people honestly believe I’m meeting up with Tom Hanks and Oprah once a week at Shakey’s to eat pizza and drink the blood of children,” Kimmel said with a laugh. “I know this because I hear from these people often. My wife hears from them, my kids hear from them. My poor mailman hears from these people. And now we’re hearing from lots more of them thanks to Aaron Rodgers.”
Kimmel, for his part, suggested that it’s possible Rodgers was mad at him because — back in February 2023, the TV host mocked Rodgers for theorizing that the slew of high-profile UFO sightings around that time were fake and being used to distract from news about the Epstein list.
“He saw that and, maybe to retaliate, he decided to insinuate that I am a pedophile. This is how these nuts do it now — if you don’t like Trump, you’re a pedophile. It’s their go-to move,” Kimmel continued.
Kimmel went on to say that he believes that Rodgers has “a very high opinion of himself,” and that because “he had success on the football field, he believes himself to be an extraordinary being.”
“He thinks that because God gave him the ability to throw a ball, he’s smarter than everyone else. The idea that his brain is just average is unfathomable to him. We learned, during COVID, that somehow he knows more about science than scientists,” Kimmel said, laying into the NFL star’s past controversies regarding his stance on vaccine mandates.
“This hamster-brained man thinks he knows what the government is up to because he’s a quarterback doing research on YouTube and listening to podcasts,” Kimmel quipped. “Aaron Rodgers is too arrogant to know how ignorant he is. They let him host Jeopardy! for two weeks, and now he knows everything.”
“Saying someone is a pedophile isn’t an opinion — nor is it trash talk. Sorry, Pat McAfee,” Kimmel added, slamming the podcast host whose show Rodgers appeared on while making his comments.
Kimmel concluded by saying that, while he also makes jokes about public figures, he doesn’t fabricate false information, and has an entire team of people researching and vetting info before his jokes ever make it to the airwaves.
“And when we do get something wrong, which happens on rare occasions, you know what I do? I apologize for it. Which is what Aaron Rodgers should do. Which is what a decent person would do. But I bet he won’t,” Kimmel said, adding that if Rodgers does apologize, “I’ll accept his apology and move on — but I bet he won’t do that.”
Kimmel wrapped up his segment on the quarterback joking, “I want to say congratulations to Aaron Rodgers, who did the impossible: He made the New York Jets look even worse.”
The beef between the pair goes back to 2021 when the comedian called Rodgers a “Karen” for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine after initially claiming he had been “immunized.”
“Honestly, the only thing worse than not getting vaccinated when you’re in close contact with other people is letting them think you’re vaccinated when you’re not,” Kimmel said. “It’s basically the Covid equivalent of ‘the condom fell off.’ Aaron is a Karen, that’s the fact of the matter.”
The saga continued in 2023 when Kimmel called Rodgers a “whack Packer” for seemingly speculating that UFO sightings around that time could be a distraction from the Epstein flight log.
The NFL quarterback is currently out from playing after suffering a torn Achilles in September. He is expected to return from injury reserve in 2024.
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