Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel has made many enemies over the years thanks to his jokes. The list of those mad at him in the past two months includes Marjorie Taylor Greene, Donald Trump Jr. and George Santos.
This week, it was Kimmel who was mad about comments made by a sports star.
What Happened: New York Jets star quarterback Aaron Rodgers suffered a season-ending injury during his first game of the 2023 NFL season. That injury didn't keep Rodgers out of the spotlight, with the quarterback making frequent appearances on "The Pat McAfee Show," a sports-themed podcast.
During a recent visit during the show, Rodgers launched an attack on Kimmel, as shared by The Hollywood Reporter.
"There's a lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, who are really hoping (the list) doesn't come out," Rodgers said of the list of people connected to Jeffrey Epstein.
The show joked that Rodgers had been sitting around waiting for the list of 200 names connected to Epstein to be released.
"I'll tell you what, if that list comes out, I definitely will be popping some sort of bottle," Rodgers added.
The Epstein list could be released soon with the names of previously unnamed parties listed as John and Jane Does finally publicly revealed.
Kimmel did not take the suggestion that he is on the list lightly.
"Dear Asshole: for the record, I've not met, flown with, visited, or had any contact whatsoever with Epstein, nor will you find my name on any ‘list' other than the clearly-phony nonsense that soft-brained wackos like yourself can't seem to distinguish from reality. Your reckless words put my family in danger. Keep it up and we will debate the facts further in court," Kimmel tweeted.
Related Link: Jimmy Kimmel Jokes At Oscars About Hollywood Stars Using This Diabetes Drug To Lose Weight — Roasts Will Smith Slap Too
Why It's Important: The battle between Kimmel and Rodgers dates back to 2021 according to the New York Post. At that time, Kimmel criticized Rodgers after the quarterback tested positive for COVID-19.
Kimmel criticized Rodgers for taking alternative medicine and not getting vaccinated, and also attacked his haircut.
"Aaron is a Karen, that's the fact of the matter," Kimmel said at the time.
Kimmel also said Rodgers misled others about his vaccination status. He compared letting other people think you're vaccinated when you're not to the "COVID equivalent of the condom fell off."
The feud had slowed down until February 2023. Rodgers appeared on "The Pat McAfee Show" and said recent talk of UFOs was a distraction to the Epstein list.
Kimmel joked about Rodgers' UFO comments and "tin-foil hatters going wild."
"It might be time to revisit that concussion protocol, Aaron."
Rodgers' friend and Green Bay Packers teammate David Bakhtiari quote-tweeted Kimmel and said "Tell me you're on the Jeffrey Epstein client list, without telling me you're on the Jeffrey Epstein client list…"
The feud between Rodgers and Kimmel may have created a battle that The Walt Disney Company DIS doesn't want and could put "The Pat McAfee Show" in a place it doesn't want to be in.
Pat McAfee signed a lucrative $85 million five-year deal with Disney owned ESPN in 2023. The deal saw McAfee's daily show transition to a home with ESPN and streaming platform ESPN+ and came as he received a recurring role on the weekly "ESPN College Football GameDay" during the NCAA Football season.
ABC, which is the home of "Jimmy Kimmel Live", is also owned by Disney. The show has been around since 2002 and is a staple for Disney's late-night television programming. Kimmel is also a regular on the hosting circuit of award shows that air on ABC.
Rodgers essentially came on a Disney-owned show to criticize one of the key Disney-owned shows.
Wednesday's episode of "The Pat McAfee Show" opened with the host offering an apology.
"I can understand why Jimmy got incredibly upset, yeah, I definitely completely understand that, especially with his position," McAfee said.
McAfee added that Rodgers was likely just trying to "s*** talk" after Kimmel's jokes about him.
"I don't think he meant anything else, but he's gonna have to clarify that for us."
McAfee apologized for the show being a part of the feud and hopes Rodgers and Kimmel are able to talk things over.
Rodgers is a recurring guest on "The Pat McAfee Show" and it could be interesting to see if he is still on the show going forward and if he will be allowed to criticize any items involving Disney.
Image: Shutterstock
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