Three days after Aaron Rodgers implied that Jimmy Kimmel would be revealed to be on Jeffrey Epstein’s list of associates while on The Pat McAfee Show, ESPN is acknowledging the situation. The polarizing quarterback, however, will remain a weekly staple of the program for the foreseeable future.
“Pat announced today that he’s planning on Aaron joining the show Tuesday. Aaron made a dumb and factually inaccurate joke about Jimmy Kimmel,” ESPN’s Mike Foss told Front Office Sports. “The show will continue to evolve. It wouldn’t surprise me if Aaron’s role evolves with it.”
The controversy began during Rodgers’ weekly appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday when he suggested that Kimmel’s name could be in documents regarding the deceased convicted pedophile that were set to be unsealed this week.
“A lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, are really hoping that doesn’t come out,” Rodgers said, unprompted.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Kimmel responded to Rodgers’ comment by threatening legal action against the four-time NFL MVP. Kimmel’s name has since been confirmed to not be included in any of the documents relating to Epstein.
Rodgers’ comment created quite the conundrum, as The Pat McAfee Show airs on ESPN and Jimmy Kimmel Live! airs on ABC — both of which are owned by Disney. Further complicating matters is that The Pat McAfee Show pays Rodgers for his weekly appearances, which could be a reason why he’ll remain a weekly staple of the show through the remainder of the NFL season.
McAfee addressed Kimmel’s response on Wednesday’s episode of his show, stating that the New York Jets quarterback was trying to “talk ****” but that he understood why the ABC late-night host was upset. On Friday, the NFL punter-turned-media mogul took a more defiant approach, publicly calling ESPN Head of Event and Studio Production Norby Williamson a “rat” while accusing him of attempting to sabotage his show with leaks to the media.
“There are folks actively trying to sabotage us from within ESPN,” McAfee said. “More specifically, I believe Norby Williamson is the guy attempting to sabotage our program.
“That is seemingly the only human that has information, and then somehow that information gets leaked and it’s wrong and then it sets a narrative of what our show is. And then are we just going to combat that from a rat every single time?”
At this point, it remains unclear what additional steps ESPN and/or Disney may take regarding the matter. But as McAfee’s most recent comments show, the fallout from the situation will inevitably extend far beyond ESPN’s statement to FOS on Friday — especially with Rodgers’ weekly appearances continuing for the foreseeable future.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.