Aaron Rodgers is already back on The Pat McAfee Show.
Rodgers, 40, made a surprise appearance on the ESPN show on Thursday, January 11, after host Pat McAfee announced on Wednesday, January 10, that the New York Jets quarterback had finished his fourth season on the show.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the last human that Bill Belichick talked to on the field as the New England Patriots head coach — Aaron Rodgers,” McAfee, 36, said on Thursday, introducing Rodgers to chat about Belichick’s departure from the Patriots after 24 years as head coach.
When Rodgers appeared, the athlete asked if people could see him and McAfee confirmed that they could and that the football player looked “fantastic.” Rodgers said he was “out in the woods” and that his off season had begun. “I’ve been so insulated here… the internet is so spotty out here in the woods,” Rodgers told McAfee.
Rodgers has made weekly appearances on The Pat McAfee Show since 2020 to provide sports — and other colorful, often controversial — commentary. During a recent appearance, Rodgers made unfounded comments suggesting ABC late night host Jimmy Kimmel would appear on a list of people associated with Jeffrey Epstein. “There’s a lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, who are hoping that list doesn’t come out,” Rodgers said when the Epstein list was brought up. He then added, “I’ll tell you what, if that list comes out, I will definitely be popping some sort of bottle.”
Rodgers remarks about Kimmel, 56, have begun a feud between the two, with Kimmel threatening legal action. Kimmel took to social media to give Rodgers his thoughts. “Dear Aasshole: 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,” Kimmel posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Your reckless words put my family in danger. Keep it up and we will debate the facts further in court.”
When Rodgers opted not to apologize, Kimmel went off on his late night show. McAfee later announced that Rodgers would be exiting The Pat McAfee Show and expressed relief about the recent weeks of controversy. “The way it ended, it got real loud and I’m happy that that is not going to be my [social media] mentions going forward,” McAfee shared about Rodgers’ statements.
He continued about Rodgers’ departure: “We are very lucky to get a chance to chat with him and learn from him. Some of his thoughts and opinions, do piss off a lot of people and I am pumped that that is no longer going to be every single Wednesday of my life, which it has been for the last few weeks.”
However, Rodgers’ absence on McAfee’s show appears to not be permanent at least for now. McAfee explained about his statement, “Yesterday, I’m just getting absolutely crushed. I’m like, ‘How do I explain to all these humans that Aaron Rodgers has an off-season too … and this is always how it’s gone with Aaron Rodgers Tuesday.”
