Pat McAfee apologized Wednesday for airing comments Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers made toward Jimmy Kimmel on McAfee’s ESPN television show a day earlier, suggesting the late-night talk show host had a connection with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
“Obviously, some things make people very angry, especially when it comes to such serious allegations,” McAfee said. “So we apologize for being a part of this. I can’t wait to hear what Aaron has to say about it. Hopefully those two will be able to resolve this, you know, not in terms of work, but they will be able to chat and move on.”
Speaking on his weekly Tuesday appearance on McAfee’s ESPN television show, Rodgers, a four-time NFL Most Valuable Player Award winner, suggested that Kimmel, the host of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on ABC, he met Epstein, who was accused of having sex with minors and in 2019 committed suicide while in jail. Epstein was a longtime friend of powerful politicians and business executives, and the names of some of his associates are expected to be made public soon in court documents.
“There are a lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, who really hope that doesn’t come out,” Rodgers said on McAfee’s show. Kimmel denied the allegations. on X, formerly known as Twitter, and threatened possible legal action against Rodgers.
“His reckless words put my family in danger,” Kimmel said. “Keep it up and we will discuss the facts further in court.”
ESPN and ABC are owned by Disney, which puts McAfee and both entities in an awkward position. The situation highlights the leeway ESPN gives McAfee, including regular appearances by Rodgers, who used his time on the show to speak out against vaccines and even challenged Travis Kelce to a debate during a recent appearance. . In October, McAfee confirmed a report that Rodgers had been paid more than $1 million to appear on the show.
Spokespeople for ABC and ESPN did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
ESPN signed McAfee, a former NFL punter, to a five-year, $85 million contract last year to bring his popular digital show to the network and appear on other programming. The hiring came as ESPN suffered layoffs as part of an overall cost-cutting strategy by Disney.
McAfee stood out among the network’s other personalities, often using profanity in what had long been family programming and eschewing the usual business casual attire for tank tops. Although he has cut back on foul language, ESPN hopes the free-form format of his show will attract new viewers as the network’s business model changes.
“We’re not going to put him in a suit and tie,” Burke Magnus, ESPN’s president of content, told The Wall Street Journal in September.
