Jimmy Kimmel fires back at Aaron Rodgers after comment about release of names of Jeffrey Epstein's alleged associates

Jimmy Kimmel slammed Aaron Rodgers after the New York Jets quarterback claimed the late night host was potentially connected to the names of Jeffrey Epstein's alleged associates on Tuesday. Hundreds of pages of documents containing names of people connected to Epstein were made public late Wednesday, and Kimmel's name wasn't in the released documents.

What did Aaron Rodgers say? 

While discussing the impending release of the list of Epstein's alleged victims and associates, Rodgers speculated during an appearance on the "Pat McAfee Show" on Tuesday that "a lot of people including Jimmy Kimmel are hoping it doesn't come out." 

"If that list comes out, I will definitely be popping some sort of bottle," he added. 

In response, Kimmel called out Rodgers on social media and appeared to threaten legal action hours later. 

"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 said on X. "Your reckless words put my family in danger. Keep it up and we will debate the facts further in court."

Rodgers, who played less than a handful of snaps for the Jets this season before an Achilles injury, has yet to respond.

Meanwhile, McAfee tried to diffuse the conflict between the two during his show on Wednesday. 

"I can see exactly why Jimmy Kimmel felt the way he felt, especially with his position," he said. "But I think Aaron was just trying to talk s---. Now, did it go too far? A lot of people – Jimmy Kimmel certainly said that was the case."  

"We apologize for being part of it," he added.

The back-and-forth between the TV host and starting QB goes back to 2021 when Kimmel criticized Rodgers for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine after the then-Green Bay Packers signal caller misled the public by saying he was "immunized" against the virus.

And last year, Kimmel poked fun at Rodgers after he suggested on the "Pat McAfee Show" that the increased discussion over UFO sightings could be a distraction from Epstein's client list.

"Needless to say, all this UFO talk has the tin foil hatters going wild, including whack-Packer Aaron Rodgers," Kimmel said before showing a clip of Rodgers' comments. 

"It may be time to revisit that concussion protocol, Aaron," Kimmel said. 

A judge ruled in mid-December that the list could be unsealed, but delayed the release until January to give those involved time to appeal their listing.

More than 100 names were made public as part of a settled civil lawsuit against British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell — who was found guilty of conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse underage girls for at least a decade – brought by Virginia Giuffre, who accused Maxwell of recruiting her for abuse. Over 900 pages of mostly unredacted documents were released and much of the information has been previously reported. Many of those whose names are mentioned are not accused of any wrongdoing.

Cara Tabachnick contributed to this report.

In:
• Aaron Rodgers
• Jimmy Kimmel
• Jeffrey Epstein

Christopher Brito

Christopher Brito is a social media manager and trending content writer for CBS News.

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