Pat McAfee says Aaron Rodgers will no longer appear on his daily ESPN show for the rest of the NFL season.
“So ‘Aaron Rodgers Tuesday: Season 4′ is done,” the host said, indicating that Rodgers’ weekly spots for the current 2023 NFL season are over.
The news comes amid an uproar over Rodgers’ decision to falsely link comedian Jimmy Kimmel to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, implying that the late night talk show host was somehow guilty of statutory rape . Kimmel has not been accused of any wrongdoing in the case.
“There’s going to be a lot of people who are going to be happy about that, including myself, to be honest,” McAfee said at the opening of Wednesday’s show. “The way it ended, it got really loud,” McAfee said of the decision. “I’m glad this won’t appear in my listings in the future, which is great news.”
McAfee expressed no displeasure with Rodgers, but did admit that the controversies he caused on the daily talk show have taken their toll: “However, some of his thoughts and opinions anger a lot of people.”
Pat McAfee says Aaron Rodgers will no longer appear on his daily ESPN show
The decision was according to McAfee Richard Deitsch of The Athleticwho wrote that he is ‘certain’ that ESPN supports the move.
And McAfee, who licenses his show to ESPN, made sure to consider the move as his own decision on Wednesday, saying, “I run my show. I retain my creative rights.’
But, as McAfee admitted, he has enemies inside and outside the network, all of whom have been given ammunition in each of his paid weekly interviews with Rodgers.
“We’ve given a lot of people who have been waiting for us this past week a lot of ammunition and other things to attack us on,” McAfee said.
The controversy began last week, when the New York Jets quarterback recklessly suggested to McAfee that Kimmel “hopes that list doesn’t come to fruition.”
The list Rodgers was referring to is a 2015 civil defamation lawsuit filed against the late millionaire Jeffrey Epstein. The statement was publicly revealed for the first time this month and includes the names of many alleged Epstein clients, who are accused of having intercourse with underage girls. Kimmel was not named in the statement, he has maintained his innocence and there are no credible allegations against him.
But despite his clear suggestion to the contrary, Rodgers denied the link between Kimmel and Epstein, telling McAfee on Tuesday that he is being canceled by the mainstream media: “This is the media’s game plan, and this is what they do.” They’re trying to cancel, you know? And it’s not just me.’
Things reached a boiling point on Friday, when McAfee launched a furious on-air attack against some ESPN executives, indicating that a “rat” within the network is trying to “sabotage” his show. The fiery host railed against “the enemy in our own camp” as he spotlighted longtime director Norby Williamson.
McAfee singled out veteran director Norby Williamson and accused him of leaking information
McAfee accused the ‘Executive Editor & Head of Event and Studio Production’ of leaking false ratings to an unnamed reporter in an attempt to take down the show.
The network has since rushed to Williamson’s defense, saying in a statement that “no one is more committed to and invested in ESPN’s success than Norby.”
McAfee admitted that he had no concrete evidence to support his accusation.
“I’m not 100 percent sure – that’s apparently the only human who has information, and somehow that information gets leaked and it’s wrong, and then the story of what our show is gets told,” he continued .
On Wednesday, McAfee said he would like to turn the page on the recent controversies.
“We’d like to get back to the point where we just move on and silence all the haters,” he said.
As for Rodgers’ future on the show, he could potentially return to the program for the 2024 NFL season, although McAfee somehow didn’t address that topic.
Instead, the host expressed his gratitude for Rodgers’ contributions while admitting he was relieved to be stepping aside for the time being.
“Aaron Rodgers is a Hall of Famer,” McAfee said. “He’s a four-time MVP. He is a big part of the NFL story. Every time you go back and tell it, he’ll be a big part of it. We are fortunate to have the opportunity to talk to him and learn from him.
“However, some of his thoughts and opinions anger many people. And I’m glad that will no longer be every Wednesday of my life, as has been the case in recent weeks.’