Jimmy Kimmel Tears Into 'Hamster Brain' Aaron Rodgers in Fiery, Seven-Minute Rant
Jimmy Kimmel Live! returned on Monday night for the first show of the new year, and host Jimmy Kimmel did not waste any time digging into his ongoing feud with New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
While the show was on break, Rodgers insinuated that Kimmel might appear on a forthcoming list of Jeffrey Epstein associates—which of course, he didn't—to which Kimmel issued a curt rejoinder that if the NFL star wished to keep making accusations, he could do it in a courtroom. Rodgers later addressed his outlandish claims on Tuesday's Pat McAfee Show, but in the meantime, Kimmel did not mince words addressing the situation.
"I suggested that if Aaron wanted to make false and very damaging statements like that he should do it in court so he could share his proof with, like, a judge," Kimmel said at the start of his monologue. "Because you know, when you hear a guy who won a Super Bowl and did all the State Farm commercials say something like this, a lot of people believe it."
"A lot of delusional people honestly believe I am meeting up with Tom Hanks and Oprah at Shakey’s once a week to eat pizza and drink the blood of children," he continued. "I know this because I hear from these people often. My wife hears from them. My kids hear from them. My poor mailman hears from these people. And now we’re hearing from lots more of them thanks to Aaron Rodgers."
Kimmel then discussed two possible scenarios. One was that Rodgers actually believed that Kimmel's name would be on the list, which he called "insane." The other was that he doesn't believe it and just said it because he was mad.
He then played the February 2023 clip that apparently got Rodgers so worked up in the first place, in which Kimmel lambasted Rodgers for suggesting that the recent UFO sightings were a government conspiracy to distract the public from the Epstein list.
"Here's the thing, I spent years doing sports. I've seen guys like him before," Kimmel explained. "Aaron Rodgers has a very high opinion of himself because he had success on the football field he believes himself to be an extraordinary being. He genuinely thinks that, because god gave him the ability to throw a ball, he's smarter than everyone else. The idea that his brain is just average is unfathomable."
"We learned during Covid that somehow he knows more about science than scientists," he continued. "A guy who went to community college, then got into Cal on a football scholarship and didn't graduate, someone who never spent a minute studying the human body is an expert in the field of immunology."
"He put on a magic helmet and that made him a genius," Kimmel quipped. "Aaron got two A's on his report card and they were both in the word 'Aaron.' Imagine that this hamster-brain man thinks he knows what the government is up to because he's a quarterback doing research on YouTube and listening to podcasts."
He then stated that Rodgers has the right to express any opinion he wants, but accusing someone of being a pedophile is not an opinion, nor is it trash talk.
Kimmel also addressed those who have pointed the finger at him for making fun of people, noting that when he says something on the show, it's a well researched joke backed by a team of people whose job it is to fact-check his jokes. And on the off-chance he does make an error, he apologies for it. On that note, the 56-year-old said that if Rodgers were to apologize on the Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday, he would gladly accept the apology.
Finally, Kimmel addressed the kind of people who buy into and perpetuate the mistruths spouted by Rodgers and others.
"If you are a member of a group that thinks it’s OK to randomly call someone a child molester because you don’t like what that person has to say, maybe you should rethink being part of that group," he declared, before adding one final dig at Rodgers' expense. "I also wanna say congratulations to Aaron Rodgers who has done the impossible. He made the New York Jets look even worse."
Rodgers later appeared on The Pat McAfee Show, as promised, however he did not apologize so much as half-heartedly walk back his claims.
"I still haven't popped a bottle because there haven't been any list that's come out, and I'm glad that Jimmy is not on the list, I really am," he said. "And I don't think he's the p-word. And you know, I think it's impressive that a man who went to Arizona State and has 10 joke writers can read off a prompter. So my education at JuCo and my three semesters at Cal has worked out for me, and I'm glad to see it's worked out for him as well."
Kimmel has not yet responded to Rodgers' non-apology, but one would have to imagine that the beef is not quite over yet.