Stephen A. Smith has expressed his belief that Pat McAfee had no reason to apologize amid the recent controversy involving Jimmy Kimmel and Aaron Rodgers. McAfee issued an apology to Kimmel after Rodgers, on McAfee’s show, suggested that Kimmel might be on the list of Jeffrey Epstein associates.
Speaking on his podcast, Smith defended McAfee, stating, “I can applaud Pat McAfee for apologizing, but let me be the first to say, he didn’t need to. He didn’t do anything wrong. It’s his show, the show is live, he didn’t know what Aaron Rodgers was going to say.”
The discussion on McAfee’s show originated with A.J. Hawk, the co-host, bringing up the Epstein list as Rodgers was discussing the Super Bowl logo. Rodgers then playfully mentioned that people, including Kimmel, are hoping the Epstein list doesn’t get released.
Smith believed that Rodgers was joking but emphasized that an apology was still owed to Kimmel. “I do feel like Pat McAfee hit the nail on the head when he said Aaron Rodgers was just taking a dig at him [Kimmel], he was just joking around, he wasn’t necessarily serious about such a thing,” Smith said. “But let me say this to Aaron Rodgers – Jeffrey Epstein ain’t nothing to joke about. I love Aaron Rodgers, everybody knows he’s a bad man, you know me. But Aaron Rodgers should just apologize. Plain and simple. Just un-complicate the situation. Even if you don’t like Jimmy Kimmel, say that too!”
Following Rodgers’ comments, Kimmel vehemently denied any association with Epstein and threatened legal action against Rodgers if he continued making such insinuations. The recent controversy is part of an ongoing feud between Rodgers and Kimmel that started in 2021 when Kimmel criticized Rodgers for misleadingly stating he was “immunized” against COVID-19 when he was unvaccinated.
The tension continued with Rodgers questioning U.S. government UFO disclosures, and Kimmel labeling him a “tin foil hatter.” It remains to be seen whether Aaron Rodgers will keep a low profile for a while as this controversy settles.
