As of late, much has been said about the release of documents involving financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Said papers naming his associates were recently revealed and, in the lead-up, a few notable public figures discussed them. NFL veteran Aaron Rodgers made headlines after suggesting that talk show host Jimmy Kimmel might be named as one of Epstein’s associates. Kimmel initially clapped back at the comments via a social media post. Now, the late-night mainstay has blasted Rodgers during the monologue of his latest broadcast.
Days ago, Aaron Rodgers appeared on ESPN’s Pat McAfee Show as captured on X, where he said that “there’s a lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, who are really hoping [the list] doesn’t come out.” Kimmel recapped the situation on the latest episode of his show (which was shared to YouTube), noting that his name “wasn’t on it, isn’t on it and won’t ever be on.” He also stated that “I don’t know, Jeffrey Epstein, I’ve never met Jeffrey Epstein.”
The TV host said he finds it “insane” that the former Green Bay Packer would believe his name would be on the list. He also surmised that either the athlete believed it or doesn’t actually believe it and was only upset over past jabs the Live! host has sent his way regarding his vaccination comments and more. When talking about the past segment he did, the longtime presenter continued with this:
So [Rodgers] saw that and maybe to retaliate, he decided to insinuate that I am a pedophile. That’s how these nuts do it now. You don’t like Trump, you’re a pedophile. It’s their go-to move, and it shows you how much they actually care about pedophilia.
The ABC host went on to opine that the New York Jets quarterback has a “very high opinion of himself” and declared that the Super Bowl winner believes himself to be superior due to his sports prowess. The talk show pundit specifically said:
Aaron Rodgers has a very high opinion of himself, because he had success on the football field, he believes himself to be an extraordinary being. He genuinely 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.
Jimmy Kimmel quipped that the quarterback views himself as “an expert in immunology,” having put on “a magic helmet and that G made him a genius.” The host also invoked the principle known as the Dunning-Kruger to classify the football star, while referencing Aaron Rodgers’ hosting stint on Jeopardy! (during which he was pitching to become Alex Trebek’s replacement). Kimmel also said the following:
That 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.
The Man Show alum also stated that he believes athletes should be able to express their opinions and that Aaron Rodgers has the right “to express any opinion” he wants to. However, he stated that accusing someone of pedophilia is not comparable to late-night hosts making jokes about public figures. You can see the monologue in its entirety down below:
At this time, the list that includes the associates of Jeffrey Epstein (who was found dead in his jail cell at 66 in 2019) continues to remain a major topic of conversation. Among those who were named in the documents were former U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump as well as Prince Andrew, who stepped back from his royal duties after an interview involving Epstein in 2019.
Lawmakers continue to seek answers involving the late businessman and his associates, who are said to have obtained women and men and sexually abused them. Much of that was chronicled in the docuseries Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich, which is available to Netflix subscribers. (Said production also led to a major lawsuit.)
Aaron Rodgers has not formally responded to Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue, as of this writing. Time will tell whether he decides to do so. The public will also have to wait for further updates on the ongoing legal situation involving Jeffrey Epstein.
