Pat McAfee has apologized for New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers made on âThe Pat McAfee Showâ about TV host Jimmy Kimmel and the late accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
Rodgersâ comments were made during a conversation referencing the release of an impending document that will purportedly reveal the identities of dozens of people linked to Epstein, who died by suicide four years ago in jail while awaiting federal sex-trafficking charges.
On his program Wednesday, McAfee Rodgersâ comments the day prior, saying that while making jokes is part of their show, âwhenever thereâs accusations made about people, that can lead to lawsuits.â
âThereâs a lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, really hoping that doesnât come out,â Rodgers during Tuesdayâs show. Rodgers also said that heâll be âpopping some sort of bottleâ if the list is released.
McAfee suggested that Rodgersâ remarks were meant to be a âsâ talk jokeâ that then turned into a âvery serious allegation,â but that he understood why Kimmel got upset.
âWe apologize for being a part of it,â McAfee said. âI canât wait to hear what Aaron has to say about it. Hopefully those two will just be able to settle this â not court-wise â but be able to chit chat and move along.â
CNN has reached out to a representative for Rodgers. ESPN and ABC declined to comment.
The âPat McAfee Showâ is produced by McAfee, a former NFL player. The show streams Monday through Friday on YouTube and is distributed by ESPN. Rodgers is a regular on McAfeeâs show. ABC produces and distributes âJimmy Kimmel Live!â and is the parent company of ESPN.
A representative for Kimmel did not respond to CNNâs request for comment, but Kimmel issued a statement to X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, admonishing Rodgers for his claims after a clip went viral on social media.
âFor the record, Iâve not met, flown with, visited, or had any contact whatsoever with Epstein, nor will you find my name on any âlistâ other than the clearly-phony nonsense that soft-brained wackos like yourself canât seem to distinguish from reality,â Kimmel wrote on the social media platform. âYour reckless words put my family in danger. Keep it up and we will debate the facts further in court.â
Kimmel and Rodgers have publicly poked fun at one another in the past. In March, Kimmel made a on âLive!â about comments Rodgers made on McAfeeâs show at the time related to the Epstein document.
CNNâs Elizabeth Wagmeister contributed to this report.