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Jimmy Kimmel went after Aaron Rodgers on Monday night as he responded to the New York Jets quarterback’s dig about the comedian being nervous about the Jeffrey Epstein client list.
As the documents came out over the last week, Kimmel’s name was nowhere to be found. Rodgers’ crack appeared to be rooted in comments the late-night host made in February 2023 over the quarterback’s interest in the Epstein list and wonderment over stories about UFOs and the Chinese spy balloon. Kimmel called him a "whack Packer."
Kimmel, after initially threatening a lawsuit against Rodgers, tore into the four-time NFL MVP and denied having any type of connection to Epstein. He said he believed he only made the jab about Epstein because of the jokes from last year. He labeled Rodgers "Karen Rodgers."
"This is how these nuts do it now. If you don’t like (Donald) Trump, you’re a pedophile. It’s their go-to move, and it shows you how much they actually care about pedophilia.… I’ve seen guys like him before," Kimmel said. "Aaron Rodgers has a very high opinion of himself because he had success on the football field, he believes himself to be an extraordinary being. He genuinely thinks 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.
"We learned during COVID that somehow he knows more about science than scientists. A guy who went to community college, then got into Cal on a football scholarship and didn’t graduate, someone who never spent a minute studying the human body is the expert in the field of immunology. He put on a magic helmet and that ‘G’ made him a genius. Aaron got two As on his report card, they were both in the word ‘Aaron.’
"Can you imagine this hamster-brained man thinks he knows what the government is up to because he’s a quarterback doing research on YouTube and listening to podcasts."
Kimmel did his own research, diagnosing Rodgers with the Dunning-Kruger effect – a "a cognitive bias in which people with limited competence in a particular domain overestimate their abilities."
"In other words, Aaron Rodgers is too arrogant to know how ignorant he is," he said.
Kimmel supported Rodgers’ right to free speech but drew the line at insinuations that he or anyone else was a pedophile.
"Nor is it trash talk. Sorry, Pat McAfee," he said, levying a shot at the ESPN host.
Kimmel said what he does is not the same as Rodgers as he doesn’t "make up lies."
He added that he wanted Rodgers to apologize but said the quarterback "probably won’t do that."
Rodgers is set for a "Pat McAfee Show" appearance on Tuesday. He teased reporters with his response to the drama over his remarks on Monday afternoon.