Back in 2016, two of the biggest stars to come out of The Bachelor franchise — JoJo Fletcher and Jordan Rodgers — fell in love on The Bachelorette. Rodgers is the brother of NFL quarterback Aaron, but it quickly became obvious to ABC’s viewers that the Super Bowl winner wouldn’t be making a cameo. In fact, that season of The Bachelorette publicized the fact that Aaron was estranged from his family, and according to his new biography Out of the Darkness: The Mystery of Aaron Rodgers, there was one scene in particular that “irritated” him.
It was pretty apparent early on The Bachelorette Season 12 that Jordan Rodgers did not want to talk about his more famous brother. Still, as he progressed through JoJo Fletcher’s season — ultimately proposing to her in the season finale — Aaron Rodgers’ name did continue to come up. During Hometowns, Jordan introduced JoJo to his parents and brother Luke, and the family gathered around a table that was awkwardly set with two empty chairs. That detail apparently rubbed Aaron Rodgers the wrong way, according to the biography (per E!), which reads:
Aaron was irritated by his family’s decision to film that scene, empty chairs and all, especially when he was not invited to participate. Not that he would have shown up. Aaron did not appreciate that Jordan was using their personal issues to increase his visibility for a potential TV career.
Having watched that episode back in 2016, I’d have to agree with Aaron Rodgers here. It was almost laughably uncomfortable to have the table set up in such a way, when — as Aaron said — he wasn’t invited and Jordan had made it clear he wouldn’t be there. The empty chairs almost suggested Aaron had snubbed a family who was waiting to welcome him with open arms, and I get the impression the situation is a little more complicated than that.
Either way, Aaron Rodgers clearly thought that Jordan was using Aaron’s name and their rift as a storyline to boost his own career, and that probably wasn’t helped any by JoJo Fletcher driving the situation home during the July 18, 2016, episode, when she told the camera:
He comes from such an amazing family. It was so much love and so much character. But sitting down at that table, there’s two empty seats, and I know that they all probably wish Aaron was sitting in one of them. It’s hard because, like, that’s Jordan’s brother. That’s Luke’s brother, that’s Ed and Darla’s son. I have no idea, nor could I even imagine why Aaron wouldn’t want to be a part of their lives.
Shortly after that episode aired, Aaron Rodgers finally discussed Jordan being on The Bachelorette, and it was clear he didn’t approve of his family’s feud being discussed on national TV. He said during an interview at training camp with the Green Bay Packers:
I’ve always found that it’s a little inappropriate to talk publicly about some family matters, so I’m not going to speak on those things. But I wish him well in the competition.
Jordan Rodgers did quite well in the “competition.” He and JoJo Fletcher made their relationship last, tying the knot in 2022 after a six-year courtship. Aaron Rodgers was reportedly invited to that get-together but did not attend. No word on if empty chairs were left for him.
The NFL player’s biography Out of the Darkness: The Mystery of Aaron Rodgers is available now.
