Late-Night Host Fires Back at New York QB After ‘Epstein List’ Accusation

Stop me if you've heard this before: a comment made by Aaron Rodgers has sparked a controversy.

The talented-yet-controversial QB, who played four snaps with the New York Jets this season before suffering an injury, has maintained his weekly presence on The Pat McAfee Show. Rodgers appears on the show via video call, and more times than not, says something to McAfee and Co. that sets the Internet ablaze for the wrong reason.

This week, Rodgers decided to bring up the topic of Jeffrey Epstein, the deceased former American financier and sex offender, and make allusions to a relationship between Epstein and a famous TV host and comedian.

The host has since responded to Rodgers' comments, and it gets even uglier from there.

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Inside the Aaron Rodgers-Kimmy Kimmel Controversy on The Pat McAfee Show

Here is where our issue began. Rodgers, while appearing on McAfee on Tuesday, said this:

The "list" that is referenced in this clip is the list of known associates of Jeffrey Epstein. The list contains more than 150 names, according to reports, and the court documents that mention these names are set to be unsealed soon, likely within the month.

So, Rodgers is alluding that Jimmy Kimmel, comedian and host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC, will be named among Epstein's associates. Naturally, Kimmel did not take kindly to being referenced in this way, saying this:

As one would expect, the post from Kimmel created an Internet storm. His response grew so large, in fact, that McAfee was forced to address the situation on Wednesday's edition of his show:

Rodgers was traded to the New York Jets in April, and was set to play QB for the team in 2023. Four snaps into the season-opening game against Buffalo, however, he ruptured his Achilles tendon, forcing him to miss significant time.

Rodgers underwent a procedure to repair his Achilles, and was able to make an attempt at a comeback in the late fall. His comeback efforts ultimately fell short, and though the Jets activated him from injured reserve in December, he was ruled out from actually playing for the remainder of the season.

Now, he's back in the headlines, and once again, it's for a negative reason. Here's my question: how much longer can the Jets allow Rodgers to appear on The Pat McAfee Show? From the team's perspective, it's only going to get worse from here.

Credit to Awful Announcing, who has provided excellent coverage on this story.