NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers was benched from the sports talk show where he was a recurring guest over his jab at leftist late-night host Jimmy Kimmel and deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein that ignited a media firestorm.
On Wednesday, ESPN’s Pat McAfee crumbled under pressure and announced that the former Green Bay Packers gunslinger would not be appearing on “The Pat McAfee Show” for at least the remainder of the NFL season, depriving the audience of his expert commentary during the playoffs.
“We live in a country that has freedom of speech but also you’re gonna have to deal with the consequences of your freedom of speech,” McAfee announced on Wednesday’s show.
Disappointed by McAfee’s approach! Disney/ESPN won. Aaron Rodgers suspended from “The Pat McAfee Show” after his comments on Jimmy Kimmel. McAfee said he was “happy” Rodgers wouldn’t be back on the show because of the drama it caused. pic.twitter.com/xSZUSdHbfu — Patrick Bet-David (@patrickbetdavid) January 10, 2024
“Aaron Rodgers is a Hall of Famer. He’s a four-time MVP. He’s a massive piece of the NFL story whenever you go back and tell it he will be a huge part of it,” the former NFL punter added. “We are very lucky to get a chance to chat with him,” acknowledging that the New York Jets signal caller’s thoughts and opinions “piss off” a lot of people.
“And I’m pumped that that is no longer gonna be every single Wednesday of my life which it has been for the last few weeks,” McAfee said.
The thoughts and opinions that “piss off” so many people largely stem from Rodgers’ remarks that were highly critical of the response to the COVID pandemic and to the controversial vaccines, a big no-no in the censorship-crazed America presided over by Joe Biden and his fellow Democrats.
One of those who viciously attacked Rodgers was Kimmel who the quarterback’s joke about his name potentially being included in the unsealed legal documents featuring those related to the fiendish Epstein struck a sour note with leftists.
The late-night funnyman wasn’t laughing, threatening to sue over Rodgers’ jab at him.
Dear Aasshole: 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… https://t.co/p8eug12uiS — Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) January 2, 2024
“Dear Aasshole: 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,” Kimmel wrote on X after the show aired.
ESPN apologized for the ruffling of the thin-skinned ABC star’s feathers but in what would be his final appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Rodgers refused to do likewise and was benched for the rest of the season shortly afterward.
In a lengthy statement posted to X on Wednesday evening, the host explained: “Our fans know that ART ends shortly after Aaron’s team’s season ends.. that’s how it’s been. He’ll make random surprise welcomed pop ins during big events or off season adventures but, it’s always been a season thing. I never said he’ll never be on the show again. I hope he chooses to still chat with us. We’ve been lucky the last 4 years to ride the wave of a season with a 4X NFL MVP (2 of which were during The ART Era) and get his thoughts along the way. in real time.
“I certainly don’t love that I’ve found myself in political wars and public beefs because of something that a guest has said on our show or something that my dumbass has said. including a lawsuit that was VERY public.. but I think what I’ve come to realize is that it’s gonna come with the territory of this venture. We are much more aware of that now. And, for the good of our lives, happiness, and mana .. we’re gonna try and avoid as many as possible,” McAfee said.
“Rodgers was originally scheduled to appear throughout the playoffs,” according to Andrew Marchand of the New York Post who reported that McAfee made the call “to cut the collaboration off early.”