In the winter of 2014, Aaron Rodgers, the star quarterback of the Green Bay Packers, stopped speaking with his parents, Ed and Darla Rodgers.
This estrangement began while Rodgers was dating actress Olivia Munn, who had moved in with him in Green Bay. Despite a seemingly cordial visit with Munn in early December, things took a sharp turn after Rodgers played one of the worst games of his career against the Buffalo Bills, posting a career-low quarterback rating of 34.3 in a 21–13 loss.
That night, according to sources, Munn called Ed and Darla, delivering an unexpected and angry rant about their plans to visit Aaron again when the Packers played in Tampa Bay just before Christmas—a trip that coincided with a family vacation to Disney World. Munn made it clear she did not want Rodgers’ parents attending the game or seeing their son. When Ed and Darla asserted that they had been attending Aaron’s games since he was a child and didn’t need her permission, the situation escalated.
Though Munn declined to comment for this account, Ed recalled the interaction, stating, “The only thing I said was, ‘You haven’t been on the scene very long. You’re just his girlfriend. We’re his parents.’” Nevertheless, the tension led to a rift. Ed and Darla attended the Tampa Bay game, but they did not see Aaron. Shortly after, Rodgers sent an email to his family, stating, “Don’t attack the woman I love.” This marked the beginning of an estrangement that would last nearly a decade.
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Many have speculated that Munn was to blame for the family divide, but those close to the situation suggest that the issues were more complex. Rodgers had distanced himself from others in his life before meeting Munn, including a temporary break with his best friend, Jordan Russell. According to sources, Rodgers has always been decisive about who remains in his life, and once someone crosses him, they are often cut out for good.
However, Munn’s actions didn’t help the situation. When Ed and Darla sent Christmas gifts to Rodgers and Munn, the actress returned them to the Rodgers home in Chico, California, rather than regifting them or donating them to charity. The gifts arrived on Ed’s birthday, initially leading him to believe they were from Aaron, only to discover they were the same gifts he had sent. This act further strained the relationship.
Additionally, Darla, a devout Christian, was deeply offended by Munn’s public comments about her sex life with Aaron and jokes about oral sex in interviews. These remarks, made just before Rodgers’ poor performance in Buffalo, exacerbated the tension between Munn and the Rodgers family.
Munn later claimed in an interview that she had encouraged Aaron to reconcile with his parents and that he had already been estranged from them before they started dating. “It’s a lie,” Ed Rodgers said in response. Munn also suggested that the Rodgers family dynamic was complicated by their dependence on Aaron’s success, a statement that Ed and Darla strongly disputed.
“Aaron had always been generous with his family,” Ed explained, noting that his son had bought them a home, provided cars, and often paid for family vacations. The suggestion that they were exploiting Aaron’s fame and fortune was deeply hurtful to the Rodgers family.
Despite the long-standing rift, Ed and Darla maintained hope that their relationship with Aaron could be restored. They expressed a willingness to forgive and move forward without needing to resolve the past issues. “We would be so happy to move on,” Darla said. “The new relationship needs to start, and it just feels weird that we can’t communicate even big-life things with him.”
In the summer of 2023, there was a brief but emotional moment of connection between father and son. Ed Rodgers attended a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, where he and Aaron shared a brief hug and exchanged words of love. While the embrace was fleeting, it gave Ed renewed hope that a reconciliation might be possible.
The estrangement between Aaron Rodgers and his family remains one of the more enigmatic stories in sports.
While many have pointed fingers at Olivia Munn as the cause, the truth seems to be more complex, rooted in long-standing issues and personal decisions made by Aaron himself. Despite the hurt and distance, the Rodgers family continues to hold out hope for healing and a renewed relationship with their son.
