You know the old crisis-PR adage: The best way to respond to a seven-and-a-half-minute late-night monologue criticizing you is an even longer speech on a ramshackle ESPN talk show. Aaron Rodgers was the subject of Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue on January 8, over a claim about the late-night host and Jeffrey Epstein, so he responded with his own rant during his January 9 spot on the Pat McAfee Show. “I don’t give a shit what he says about me,†Rodgers said, attempting to sum up a nearly ten-minute rant. The New York Jets quarterback claimed he never meant to imply Kimmel was on a list of Epstein associates when he said that Kimmel was “really hoping†the list didn’t come out on last week’s McAfee. Instead, Rodgers said he was referring to something Kimmel had previously said about something Rodgers had previously said about an Epstein list. (Yeah, it’s not totally clear.)
“I totally understand how serious an allegation of pedophilia would be, so for him to be upset about that, I get it,†Rodgers said, while stopping short of apologizing. “I’m not stupid enough to accuse you of that with absolutely zero evidence, concrete evidence. That’s ridiculous.†Tell us about it.
As these things often go with Rodgers, the NFL star traced it back to a feud with Kimmel over the pandemic and Rodgers’s refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine, along with some good old-fashioned media conspiracy. “In my opinion, you went after me — that’s fine, you’re a comedian, go for it, not offended — but, that was an L,†Rodgers said of Kimmel’s pandemic comments. As for the amateur comedy critic’s take on the monologue itself? “I think it’s impressive that a man who went to Arizona State and has ten joke writers can read off a prompter.â€