Aaron Rodgers just keeps talking. The 40-year-old New York Jets quarterback did not apologize to Jimmy Kimmel during an expected appearance on the The Pat McAfee Show Tuesday, a week after he suggested the late-night host might be connected to Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier who died by suicide while awaiting trial on federal conspiracy and sex-trafficking charges.
Instead, Rodgers went on a five-minute rant about COVID-19 vaccines and claimed that Kimmel, 56, actually misunderstood his comments about him last week.
Rodgers called “false” the insinuation that he accused Kimmel of being a pedophile with what he said last week.
“I don’t think he’s the P word,” Rodgers said, adding, “I wish him the best. Again, I don’t care what he says about me. As long as he understands what I actually said and I don’t accuse him of being on the list.”
Kimmel called on Rodgers to apologize Monday night Jimmy Kimmel Live! after a defense attorney suggested that Kimmel’s name could appear on a list containing the names of high-profile people rumored to be associated with Jeffrey Epstein.
Kimmel’s name did not appear on the list, and no such list identifying individuals associated with Epstein has ever been released.
“I fully understand how serious an allegation of pedophilia would be, so I understand that he’s upset about it,” Rodgers said.
Last week, Kimmel called Rodgers’ initial comments linking him to Epstein “reckless” and said the NFL star’s “words put my family in danger.”
“Keep it up and we will continue to discuss the facts in court,” he said Jimmy Kimmel Live! host chirped in Rodgers after a clip of the McAfee segment went viral online.
Jimmy Kimmel calls on Aaron Rodgers to apologize for Jeffrey Epstein claim: ‘He probably won’t do it’
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Aaron Rodgers.
Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
On Tuesday, Rodgers said he was addressing the issue in a way that “we can all get over this” and said his rivalry with Kimmel “goes back to the days of COVID” when the late-night host made “derogatory” comments about him and other vocal critics vaccine against COVID-19.
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Rodgers also twice criticized ESPN senior vice president of digital and studio production Mike Foss, who apologized on behalf of the network in a statement, saying Rodgers made a “stupid and factually incorrect joke.”
“Mike, you’re not helping,” Rodgers said into the camera on Tuesday.
Jimmy Kimmel slams ‘reckless’ Aaron Rodgers, threatens to sue over Jeffrey Epstein claims
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Jimmy Kimmel.
Randy Holmes/ABC via Getty
ESPN and ABC — which airs Jimmy Kimmel Live! — both are part of the same parent company, Disney.
Last week, McAfee, 36, appeared to try to walk back some of Rodgers’ initial comments, telling his ESPN audience that Rodgers was just trying to “talk s—” about Kimmel.
Kimmel said Monday that he didn’t think Rodgers’ claims were “not an opinion or considered dumb talk.”
“And as for the ‘Well, you keep saying things about people,’ yeah, I do. It’s not the same. It’s not even close to the same,” Kimmel said. “We say a lot of things on this show. We don’t make up lies. In fact, we have a team of people who work very hard to sift through the facts and reputable sources before I make a joke, and that’s an important difference — a joke about someone.” He added: “[Rodgers] said i hope so [my name wouldn’t appear on the list] and that he was going to drink a bottle of something to celebrate when he did, and then it came out, and of course, my name wasn’t on it, it wasn’t on it, and it never will be. I don’t know Jeffrey Epstein, I’ve never met Jeffrey Epstein,” Kimmel told the audience.
“I’m not on the list,” Kimmel continued. “I wasn’t on a plane or on an island or anything, and I suggested that if Aaron wanted to make false and very damaging statements like that, we do it in court so he could share his evidence with the judge.”
At the end of Tuesday’s segment, Rodgers told McAfee, “We’ve covered a lot of ground and who knows if we’ve cleared anything up.”
“I don’t think this is going to change my opinion of these people at all,” Rodgers said. “But I don’t care.”
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