(NewsNation) — Aaron Rodgers will no longer appear on ESPN’s popular “Pat McAfee Show” this NFL season following comments the injured New York Jets quarterback made about Jimmy Kimmel and the Jeffrey Epstein case, according to a report by The Athletic.
Rodgers last week said a lot of people, “including Jimmy Kimmel,” are really hoping that a list of Epstein’s associates doesn’t come out publicly. Kimmel, who has denied any association with Epstein, threatened Rodgers with a lawsuit for the comment and said the NFL star was putting his family in danger.
The feud between ABC’s late-night star and Rodgers — who regularly appears on McAfee’s daily ESPN show — has proven embarrassing for The Walt Disney Co., the parent company to both television networks.
Rodgers criticized Mike Foss, an ESPN executive who oversees McAfee’s show, for saying that Rodgers had made “a dumb and factually inaccurate joke” about Kimmel.
“Mike, you’re not helping,” Rodgers said. “You’re not helping because I just read earlier exactly what I said. This is the game plan of the media and this is what they do: They try to cancel, you know, and it’s not just me.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.