The release of the Jeffrey Epstein list of clients and/or contacts omitted the name “Jimmy Kimmel.” And raises the stakes for Aaron Rodgers and the network that gives him a weekly platform.
It’s now more important for Rodgers to address the situation. It’s now more important for ESPN to say something/anything about what happened.
On Tuesday, Rodgers said of the Epstein list, “There’s a lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, really hoping that doesn’t come out.” Rodgers said it on ESPN’s Pat McAfee Show.
Kimmel, a prominent on-air talent with ESPN’s sister company, ABC, was upset. Justifiably so. Even though Rodgers did not expressly say that Kimmel is on the list, Rodgers clearly implied it.
On Wednesday, McAfee wisely backed away from Rodgers’s rant, while also trying to excuse it as “shit talk” (which may or may not be the same as “locker-room talk”). Even though McAfee said nothing wrong, McAfee apologized for his role in the situation.
That makes Rodgers’s lingering silence more deafening. While McAfee seemed to tease that Rodgers will address it next Tuesday, there’s a real question for ESPN to answer as to whether there will or should be another Tuesday with Rodgers.
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.
And they’ll now be even more likely to watch whenever Rodgers is on, because there’s a chance that Rodgers will at any given time say something that will create a firestorm.
The Kimmel remarks sparked the biggest one yet. It has been addressed by most media outlets. It was covered by NBC’s Today show on Thursday. If the goal for ESPN is to maximize views and engagement and ultimately revenue, who cares about the “why”?
Whether ESPN should care about the “why” doesn’t matter. That bridge was crossed when Rodgers was given the freedom to say whatever he wants to say on ESPN. The Kimmel incident is simply one of the houses that they knew or should have known was on the other side of the river.