“ESPN in damage control”: Internet reacts to the network addressing Aaron Rodgers latest controversial comments on The Pat McAfee Show

New York Jets v Cleveland Browns — ESPN has offered an apology for the comments made by Aaron Rodgers (Image via Nick Cammett/Getty Images)

Aaron Rodgers has been in the headlines following severe accusations against Jimmy Kimmel while appearing on The Pat McAfee Show earlier this week. As reported by Yahoo, Rodgers claimed on the show that Jimmy Kimmel had connections with Jeffrey Epstein, who has been charged with getting engaged in s*xual activities with underage girls.

Although Aaron's comments seemingly led to a dispute between him and Jimmy, Mike Foss, who serves as the senior vice president of digital and studio production at ESPN, shared a statement with Front Office Sports, which reads:

"Pat announced today that he's planning on Aaron joining the show Tuesday. Aaron made a dumb and factually inaccurate joke about Jimmy Kimmel. The show will continue to evolve. It wouldn't surprise me if Aaron's role evolves with it."

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Meanwhile, netizens have shared their reactions to Mike's statement on X (Twitter), with media personality Collin Rugg claiming that ESPN is trying to save themselves through "damage control."

Pat McAfee additionally claimed on January 5, 2024, that executive editor for ESPN Norby Williamson has reportedly tried to share the details related to the show's ratings with other sources, as per NBC News.

Netizens react to ESPN's comments after the controversy involving Aaron Rodgers

After Aaron Rodgers' comments on Jimmy Kimmel went viral on social media, the latter responded by sharing a post on X (Twitter). According to The New York Times, Kimmel mentioned Rodgers in the post and wrote that he is not linked to Jeffrey Epstein. He continued:

"Your reckless words put my family in danger. Keep it up and we will debate the facts further in court."

As mentioned earlier, an executive for ESPN has already replied to the comments, and social media platforms have been flooded with multiple reactions since then.

Netizens react to ESPN's apology for Aaron Rodgers' comments (Image via CollinRugg/X)

The Hollywood Reporter states that Pat McAfee also offered an apology for Aaron Rodgers' words in the episode of his show that aired on January 3, 2024. Pat started by saying that there are a few things that start as a "sh*t talk joke" and they can sometimes lead to a "serious allegation."

"We obviously don't like the to be associated with anything negative, ever. We'd like our show to be an uplifting one a happy one a fun one, but it's because we talk sh*t and try to make light of everything."

Pat said that he was aware of the reason behind Kimmel's response on X, which was because of his position among the public, and continued:

"I think Aaron is like, 'Hey, this guy has said some stuff about me in his monologue' and he's just trying to sh*t talk. I don't think he meant anything else, but he's gonna have to clarify that for us."

Jimmy Kimmel's name is not included in Jeffrey Epstein's list

The list of 170 associates linked to Jeffrey Epstein has been made public, and it does not feature the name of Jimmy Kimmel. News 18 states that there were discussions regarding Kimmel's name being included in the list before it was officially unsealed from Virginia Giuffre's lawsuit.

Furthermore, the list includes the names of some popular faces, including Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, and Michael Jackson. Giuffre's lawsuit was filed in 2015, in which she accused Epstein's ex-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell of hiding the truth about her abuse for many years.

Edited by Shubham Soni