Pat McAfee Apologizes After Aaron Rodgers Claimed Jimmy Kimmel Had Ties to Jeffrey Epstein
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“We obviously don’t like to be associated with anything negative ever,” McAfee said on his ESPN show Wednesday
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Pat McAfee is apologizing in the wake of a war of words between Jimmy Kimmel and Aaron Rodgers.
After the New York Jets quarterback said on Tuesday that Kimmel had ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein — leading the talk show host to threaten to sue the athlete — McAfee shared Wednesday that he regrets the role his ESPN show has played in the dust-up.
“We obviously don’t like to be associated with anything negative ever,” McAfee, 36, said. “We’d like our show to be an uplifting one, a happy one, a fun one, but it’s because we talk s--- and try to make light of everything. Some things obviously people get very pissed off about, especially when they’re that-serious allegations.”
McAfee continued, “So we apologize for being a part of it. I can’t wait to hear what Aaron has to say about it. Hopefully those two will just be able to settle this, you know, not court-wise, but be able to chit-chat and move along, ‘cause remember, you’re allowed to disagree with people’s opinions.”
The former NFL punter added that he can understand both sides.
“With all that being said, I can understand why Jimmy got incredibly upset,” McAfee said. “Yeah, I completely understand that, especially with his position. But also I think Aaron is like, ‘Hey, this guy has said some stuff about me in his monologue,’ and he’s just trying to s--- talk.”
He concluded, “I don’t think he meant anything else, but he’s gonna have to clarify that for us. We would like just continue to be a place where people can escape life. In that moment, we didn’t for a lot of folks and for a lot of reasons. We shall move on.”
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Rodgers, in his appearance on the ESPN show Tuesday, spoke on an array of topics — including his desire to use psychedelics this off-season — when he mentioned Kimmel in passing after the topic turned to the impending release of a list containing names of high-profile people rumored to be associated with Epstein.
“A lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, are hoping that doesn’t come out,” he said.
By Tuesday night, Kimmel pushed back on the 40-year-old signal-caller’s comments.
“Dear [Aa--hole]: 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. @AaronRodgers12,” the Jimmy Kimmel Live! host posted on X.
McAfee has experience with lawsuits emanating from comments made on his show.
Last February, NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre filed lawsuits against him, Shannon Sharpe and a Mississippi state auditor, claiming that the three had defamed him and ruined his "good name" in the wake of his involvement in a Mississippi welfare fraud scandal.
According to the complaint, Favre claimed McAfee called him a "thief" who was "stealing from poor people in Mississippi" on his podcast.
On Wednesday’s show, the College GameDay co-host referenced the past litigation.
“It ended with me having to read a letter basically stating that I know nothing that anybody else doesn’t know publicly already, that I’m not in-the-know for that thing," McAfee said. "But that was a big thing for a long time."
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