Jimmy Kimmel threatens legal action against Aaron Rodgers over comments on Jeffrey Epstein
In what might be the most inflammatory comments yet from likely Pro Football Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers, one late-night talk-show host has threatened to pursue "court action" in response.
Through a social media post on Tuesday, Jimmy Kimmel threatened legal action against Rodgers for attempting to connect him to Jeffrey Epstein. The disgraced financier and convicted sex offender died in 2019 after federal authorities pressed charges against him for sex trafficking.
Kimmel denied any connection to Epstein and wrote the following on X, formerly known as Twitter:
"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. Your reckless words put my family in danger. Keep it up and we will debate the facts further in court."
On his weekly appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" earlier in the day, the New York Jets quarterback said that he plans to celebrate when a list of associates of Epstein's that was previously redacted in court documents would be revealed. Rodgers invoked Kimmel's name when discussing the situation with McAfee and his co-host (and former teammate) A.J. Hawk.
A financier with a lengthy list of connections with powerful and wealthy individuals, Epstein had long been suspected of sex trafficking and child sex abuse and was once convicted of procuring a minor in Florida back in 2011. In the summer of 2019, Epstein faced federal sex trafficking charges as well as conspiracy to traffic minors for sex in New York.
Several weeks after he was formally charged, Epstein was found dead in his jail cell from what was ruled a suicide. His death has become major conspiracy fodder due to his well-connected status, with much of the theories claiming that he was murdered.
Rodgers has courted controversy with his opinions quite often in recent years, most notably in relation to the coronavirus pandemic. Some believe that his comments have done more harm than good despite his importance to the ascension of McAfee as one of the most prominent figures in all of sports media today. Although his thoughts about the COVID vaccines and those who have advocated for them appeared to fit into the heated mainstream political discourse, broaching the subject of Epstein appears to be a different animal altogether.
Whether Kimmel actually follows through with legal action or not remains to be seen, but it appears to be the first time anyone has attempted to hold Rodgers accountable for his words.
More must-reads: