Jimmy Kimmel has called on NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers to apologize for saying the comic would appear in court documents associated with Jeffrey Epstein.
Speaking on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Monday, the late-night host said Rodgers probably didn’t believe that he was an associate of Epstein, but was upset about being the target of Kimmel’s jokes.
The New York Jets quarterback made the allegations on “The Pat McAfee Show” on ESPN last week. “There’s a lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, who’s really hoping that doesn’t come out,” he said, referring to then-unsealed court documents that included the names of more than 150 people mentioned in legal proceedings related to Epstein. Rodgers added that should “that list” come out, he would “definitely be popping some sort of bottle.”
“And then it did come out and, of course, my name isn’t on it … I don’t know Jeffrey Epstein, I’ve never met Jeffrey Epstein, I’m not on a list, I wasn’t on a plane or an island or anything ever,” Kimmel said in his opening monologue.
“A lot of delusional people honestly believe I am meeting up with Tom Hanks and Oprah at Shakey’s once a week to eat pizza and drink the blood of children,” he continued.
“Either he actually believes my name was going to be on Epstein’s list, which is insane, or the more likely scenario is he doesn’t actually believe that, he just said it because he’s mad at me for making fun of his top knot and his lies about being vaccinated,” Kimmel said.
If Rodgers does apologize, Kimmel said, he would “accept his apology and move on.”
“When I do get something wrong, which happens on rare occasions. you know what I do? I apologize for it, which is what Aaron Rodgers should do, which is what a decent person would do, but I bet he won’t,” he said.
Kimmel opened his monologue by saying 2024 had already been a “crazy year, particularly for me.” He went on to eviscerate Rodgers for his comments on Covid shots, when the NFL player said he was unvaccinated and instead took ivermectin, which is designed to treat parasites in livestock and has been widely debunked as a treatment for Covid.
In 2023, Kimmel called Rodgers a “whack Packer” for suggesting — also on “The Pat McAffee Show” — that news reports of UFO sightings were somehow linked to the Epstein case, citing the “interesting timing.”
Kimmel responded to Rodgers last week, saying in a post on X that his “reckless words” about the Epstein documents had put his family in danger.
“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 wrote.
He added: “Keep it up and we will debate the facts further in court.”
Attempts to reach Rodgers overnight were unsuccessful.
Epstein was arrested on sex trafficking charges in 2019 in connection with alleged incidents that occurred between 2002 and 2005. He took his own life in a jail cell in August of that year, an incident that federal investigators said was the result of errors and negligence by staff.
The first documents released last week included big names but few new details. The names, including some high-profile figures, have mostly been mentioned publicly in court documents before — but the case continues to fuel conspiracy theories and wild speculation.
Another set of unsealed documents last week showed how teenage girls were recruited to go to the disgraced financier’s Florida home.
