The celebrity feud between late-night television host Jimmy Kimmel and NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers is getting renewed attention this week, with both sides responding to the controversy.
The ongoing conflict stems from comments Rodgers made earlier this month that seemingly tied Kimmel to disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. On a recent episode of the "Pat McAfee Show," Rodgers referenced a to-be-released list of the convicted sex offender's alleged associates, saying that "a lot of people including Jimmy Kimmel" hope the names aren't made public.
McAfee added that the dig was aimed at Kimmel because of a clip the late-night host recently aired on his show, in which he mocked Rodgers and called him a "tin foil hatter" for previous remarks the athlete made about the Epstein list.
What to know about names released in Jeffrey Epstein court docs
Being named in the documents is not an indication of wrongdoing. The documents name a wide range of associates, staff and even investigators.
Kimmel then threatened Rodgers on social media for his "reckless words" and asked if he'd like to "debate the facts further in court." But on Tuesday night's episode of his weekly talk show, Kimmel gave an even more scathing rebuke to Rodgers in his opening monologue, bashing his education, vaccination beliefs, and more.
"[Rodgers] genuinely believes 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," Kimmel said. "We learned during COVID that somehow he knows more about science than scientists. A guy who went to community college, then got into [The University of California] on a football scholarship and didn't graduate ... Aaron got two A's on his report card, they were both in the word Aaron."
Kimmel went on to call Rodgers a "hamster-brained man ... who is too arrogant to know how ignorant he is." Before wrapping up his more than seven-minute monologue, Kimmel again addressed the Epstein accusations and called on Rodgers to be a "decent person" and apologize.
How did Jeffrey Epstein die? Still no answers from DOJ OIG
Four years later, the Department of Justice has failed to provide any answers about how Jeffrey Epstein was allowed to die while in the custody.
Rodgers appeared again Tuesday on another episode of "The Pat McAfee Show" to address Kimmel's monologue and seemingly attempt to clear the air.
"I totally understand how serious an allegation of pedophilia would be. So for him to be upset about that, I get it," Rodgers said, adding: "...even though you think I'm an idiot [and] made a lot of comments about my intelligence, I'm not stupid enough to accuse you of that with absolutely zero evidence."
While Rodgers went on to say that he agrees with Kimmel about how heinous the crimes linked to Epstein are, he said he hopes the comedian will spend more time on his show talking about who is potentially linked to those crimes, and less time talking about other subjects — including Rodgers.
"I'd like to put this to bed and move forward," he added.
McAfee has repeatedly defended Rodgers' initial comments as a guy who's "just trying to talk s***," and has voiced optimism that the two can hopefully settle their dispute. However, given the seriousness of the accusations and the subject involved, that remains unclear.
Epstein, who's at the center of the entire controversy, died on Aug. 10, 2019, when he hung himself inside a New York City jail cell where he was awaiting trial.
