Jimmy Kimmel threatened legal action against Aaron Rodgers after the New York Jets quarterback insinuated the late-night host's name might show up on a soon-to-be released list of Jeffrey Epstein associates.
Rodgers made the comments during an appearance on ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show." The four-time NFL MVP and the hosts were discussing the impending unsealing of court documents related to Epstein, the convicted sex-offender who died by suicide at an NYC prison, when Rogers seemed to suggest that Kimmel would be among the high-profile names associated with Epstein.
“There’s a lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, that are really hoping that (list) doesn't come out,” Rodgers said.
Hours later, the late night TV host ripped Rodgers for his comment in a post on X.
"Dear (a------): 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's post read. "Your reckless words put my family in danger. Keep it up and we will debate the facts further in court."
Last month, a federal judge ordered the public disclosure of the identities of more than 150 people mentioned in a mountain of court documents related to the Epstein, saying that most of the names were already public and that many had not objected to the release.
Epstein took his own life in August 2019 in a federal lockup in Manhattan as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. He was accused of luring numerous underage girls to his homes under the guise of giving him massages, and then sexually abusing them. The people whose names are to be disclosed include sex abuse victims, litigation witnesses, Epstein's employees and even some people with only a passing connection to the scandal.
NFL
The case has spawned countless conspiracy theories about the possible involvement of rich and powerful people in sex trafficking.
This isn't the first time that barbs have been tossed between Kimmel and Rodgers. During an appearance on McAfee's show in February 2023, Rodgers floated a conspiracy theory that information related to UFOs was being disclosed as a distraction to other things such as the Epstein associate list.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
The theory was then a topic on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" with the late-night host calling Rodgers a "tin foil hatter" and a "Green Bay wack Packer," when Rodgers was still a player for the Packers at the time.
Kimmel also took at aim Rodgers for his stance on the COVID-19 vaccine in 2021 after the quarterback admitted to have made "misleading" comments about being vaccinated by saying he was "immunized" against COVID-19. Rodgers had not been vaccinated.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
