Aaron Rodgers is compensated for the regular appearances he makes on Pat McAfee’s show, and the longtime media personality does not care who knows it.
Rodgers is a regular guest on “The Pat McAfee Show,” typically appearing on Tuesdays throughout the NFL season. The interviews are known as “Aaron Rodgers Tuesdays.” McAfee also has Alabama head coach Nick Saban as a regular guest for what he calls “Nick Saban Thursdays.”
According to Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, Rodgers is paid handsomely for the regular appearances on McAfee’s show. Marchand reported in a column on Thursday that Rodgers is paid more than seven figures annually for his partnership with “The Pat McAfee Show.”
Marchand noted how other prominent sports figures have been paid for media appearances but wrote that McAfee “has taken this realm to a new level.”
McAfee proudly confirmed to Marchand that Rodgers “has made over $1,000,000 with us, for sure.” The former Indianapolis Colts punter then addressed the story on Thursday’s edition of his show. McAfee explained that he has essentially given Rodgers bonuses to show his appreciation for the role the four-time MVP has played in the growth of “The Pat McAfee Show.”
“Our company went from being valued from anywhere from $2M to $5M a few years back to like over $500 million. I’m not saying that just to flex,” McAfee said. “I’m saying that like, as a human that knows that, all the people that have helped that happen have all been paid very handsomely. That is what business is in my eyes.
“One holiday season we write a little check, and it’s like, ‘Hey, here’s $450,000 and it’s nowhere near enough for what you’ve done for us.’ And I just give it to him. Aaron’s very uncomfortable with that, obviously, and I start breaking down like, ‘Hey, let me tell you what you have done for our company and you shut the f— up. That is basically how this is gonna go.'”
McAfee added that he doesn’t like how billion-dollar companies have made it the standard to not compensate guests for interviews. He then took aim at Marchand, who he felt tried to make him look bad with the story.
“Andrew Marchand is a rat, OK? That is what he is. He tried to paint this in a way that makes me look like a bad person,” McAfee said.
You can hear more from McAfee below:
Some would say the fact that Rodgers is paid for the interviews makes them less authentic. However, as McAfee explained it, Rodgers has done a lot for him and his company. The two are also close friends. It makes sense that McAfee wanted to share the wealth, especially after his platform exploded so much in recent years.
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