Aaron Rodgers' Joke About Jimmy Kimmel Is The Excuse Outrage Crowd Needed To Cancel Him | Bobby Burack

Aaron Rodgers made a joke earlier this week about Jimmy Kimmel sweating the release of the Jeffrey Epstein client list.

Rodgers' jab at Kimmel is in reference to a bit by his former teammate, David Bakhtiari, who jokingly wondered why Kimmel would call Rodgers a "tin foil hatter” for wanting the public to know the names on the Epstein list.

See, Rodgers didn't say Kimmel would be on the list. He made fun of Kimmel for suggesting he wanted to keep the files sealed, which he did:

Yet Kimmel, who Disney's ABC pays around $20 million a year to make jokes, responded to Rodgers by threatening legal action.

"Dear Aasshole: for the record, I’ve not met, flown with, visited, or had any contact whatsoever with Epstein, nor will you find my name on any 'list' other than the clearly-phony nonsense that soft-brained wackos like yourself can’t seem to distinguish from reality. Your reckless words put my family in danger. Keep it up and we will debate the facts further in court. @AaronRodgers12," tweeted Kimmel.

There was a time in which the media would cover such a feud by pointing out the hypocrisy of a late-night "comedian" threatening to sue someone for a joke.

But that time is not 2024. The corporate media has overwhelmingly sided with Kimmel. Of course, it has.

There is a growing wave of pundits now calling for ESPN to ban Rodgers from the Pat McAfee Show, on which he appears weekly and made the nod to Kimmel.

Deadspin, fresh off of lying about a nine-year-old kid wearing blackface, argued "It’s time for ESPN to put an end to Pat McAfee’s Aaron Rodgers disaster."

Here's Deadspin writer Julie DiCaro, who once ran a blog called "Designated Hotter" dedicated to judging male athletes on their physical appearance:

"I wish I could say that the powers that be at ESPN, who recently canceled the highly-acclaimed show Outside the Lines, which showcased actual journalism, cared about all the anti-vaccine, anti-intellectual garbage Rodgers uses his platform on McAfee’s show to promote (without even the slightest pushback from McAfee), but that would be… wait for it… false information. Apparently, lying about a public health crisis that has killed almost 1.2 million Americans (many of whom, I would venture to guess, were ESPN viewers) is apparently just fine by ESPN. At the very least, they haven’t disavowed any of Rodgers’ comments publicly or issued any apologies for his falsehoods."

CNN host Jake Tapper shared this article with his 3 million followers on X, validating a website that harasses children.

Tapper then invited DiCaro on his show, where he provided the creepy blogger softball questions, before applying his own pressure on ESPN to end its relationship with Rodgers.

“Why is Disney even allowing this to happen?” Tapper asked.

"Does allow ESPN and this nitwit…to continue to have this forum even when they are smearing who is working for ABC for more than 20 years now.”

By the way, why does CNN allow Tapper and this nitwit to continue to have their forum?

NBC blogger Mike Florio, who is still sorry for hurting Lamar Jackson's feelings, is also urging ESPN to prevent McAfee from booking Rodgers any further:

"If it’s not Kimmel, it’ll be something else. Rodgers has, on multiple occasions, pushed conspiracy theories and related rhetoric on McAfee’s show, both before and after the program landed on ESPN. Rodgers will likely stop saying outlandish things about Kimmel; Rodgers likely won’t stop saying outlandish things.

"Unless and until ESPN pulls the plug on Rodgers, it’s fair to conclude that ESPN likes it. People tuned in on Wednesday to hear whether McAfee would address the situation and, if so, what he would say. People will tune in next Tuesday to hear what Rodgers will say."

New York sports radio host and Dan Le Batard's minions: ESPN should ban Rodgers.

Unfortunately, the pressure might work.

Outside critics have long infiltrated decision-making within Disney. In 2022, supposedly outraged journalists helped force then-CEO Bob Chapek to take an opposition to dubiously dubbed "Don't Say Gay'" bill after originally planning to not.

What's more, Jimmy Kimmel is, somehow, still the most famous talk show host Disney employs. He hosts the Oscars, which technically matters. He has a direct line to Bob Iger.

Disney executives will choose Kimmel over Rodgers, and Kimmel or Rodgers and McAfee if the latter dares them to choose.

There's no question about that.

However, let's not act like Rodgers' comments about Kimmel are the reason the likes of Florio, Tapper, and Deadspin are so up in arms.

McAfee's weekly segments with Rodgers have drawn blowback from the media cool kids since McAfee debuted on ESPN last September.

Hence the outcry when McAfee confirmed Rodgers is a paid guest on the program.

Rodgers is the most criticized athlete, by far. He's worn said title since he opposed Covid-19 vaccines in 2021 during an appearance with, wait for it, Pat McAfee.

Aaron Rodgers does not participate in player-speak.

His weekly segments with McAfee are uncanny. It’s rare to see an athlete speak as openly and candidly as Rodgers does. He doesn’t use the platform to impress executives at Nike and corporate sponsors.

Rodgers is a threat to the liberal orthodoxy. He is one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. He has a weekly spot on the most popular sports network in the country.

Rodgers uses that spot to espouse opinions that run in direct conflict with the pre-approved narratives that professional athletes are supposed to uphold.

Reporters and talk show hosts abhor Rodgers for sharing his opinion and not theirs. He's also smarter than many of them, particularly DiCaro and Florio.

As a result, Aaron Rodgers is now a target.

The outrage crowd tried to silence Aaron Rodgers during the pandemic. They failed. They hope his joke about Kimmel will provide them the excuse they've needed.