Current:Home > MyESPN issues apology for Aaron Rodgers' comments about Jimmy Kimmel on Pat McAfee Show-LoTradeCoin
ESPN issues apology for Aaron Rodgers' comments about Jimmy Kimmel on Pat McAfee Show
View Date:2024-12-23 21:04:07
ESPN issued an apology Friday afternoon for the false comments New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers made on "The Pat McAfee Show" earlier this week about late-night host Jimmy Kimmel.
Through ESPN vice president of digital production Mike Foss, the network called the comments Rodgers made about Kimmel in relation to the release of the Jeffrey Epstein court documents "a dumb and factually inaccurate joke."
"It never should have happened," Foss said in a statement obtained by USA TODAY Sports. "We all realized that in the moment."
Front Office Sports first reported the ESPN apology. McAfee said Friday that Rodgers will appear on the show next Tuesday.
"The show will continue to evolve," Foss told FOS. "It wouldn't surprise me if Aaron's role evolves with it."
Kimmel took to social media Tuesday night to blast Rodgers and say he never had any contact with Epstein, who died by suicide while imprisoned in 2019.
Earlier that day, McAfee co-host A.J. Hawk egged Rodgers on about the potential release of the court documents, to which the 40-year-old quarterback responded: "There's a lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel who are hoping that doesn't come out ... if that list comes out, I will definitely be popping some sort of bottles."
The situation created internal strife at ESPN's parent company Disney, which also owns ABC, where "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" airs.
Rodgers is paid $1 million annually for his weekly appearances on McAfee's show, according to reports. On Wednesday, McAfee offered a half-hearted apology, saying he hopes his show is a positive one that uplifts people.
Read more:Aaron Rodgers reaches new low with grudge-filled attack on Jimmy Kimmel
However, the show found itself in more hot water by Friday afternoon.
Pat McAfee accuses ESPN exec of 'attempting to sabotage our program'
The dramatic start to 2024 for the show and ESPN took another turn Friday when the host accused an ESPN executive of intentionally "attempting to sabotage our program."
"There are folks actively trying to sabotage us from within ESPN," McAfee said. "More specifically I believe Norby Williamson is the guy attempting to sabotage our program."
ESPN had no comment when asked about McAfee's claim. Last year, the network signed McAfee to a contract worth $85 million over five years to license his show and for his work on "College GameDay."
Williamson is the head of event and studio production at ESPN who wields immense power within the company.
"(Williamson) is seemingly the only human that has information, and then somehow that information gets leaked and it's wrong and then it sets a narrative of what our show is," McAfee said. "And then are we just going to combat that from a rat every single time?"
On Thursday, New York Post sports media columnist Andrew Marchand wrote that Disney, which owns ESPN, would accept the turmoil in return for impressive ratings. But Marchand's reporting included a somewhat dismal look at the numbers since McAfee started airing on ESPN in September. The network loses 48% of viewers from its "First Take" lead-in, although that does not account for the nearly 400,000 viewers who watch on the show's YouTube channel. Still, according to Marchand, the show is down 12 percent from the same window in 2022, which aired a noon ET version of "SportsCenter."
McAfee said the numbers are inaccurate without providing additional data and that he wasn't "100 percent sure" it was Williamson, who McAfee feels is "seemingly the only human that has (that) information."
"Somebody tried to get ahead of our actual ratings release with wrong numbers 12 hours beforehand," McAfee said. "That's a sabotage attempt, and it's been happening ... from some people who didn't necessarily love the old addition of the Pat McAfee Show to the ESPN family."
McAfee retold a story of Williamson not showing up for a meeting they had scheduled in 2018, adding "this guy has had zero respect for me."
As McAfee's comments circulated, other ex-ESPN employees chimed in with similar views toward Williamson. Former ESPN talent Jemele Hill wrote on social media "I can relate."
Ex-ESPN host Michelle Beadle replied to Hill, writing "Well well well ... (laugh-crying emoji)." And a former executive producer for "The Dan Le Batard Show," Mike Ryan, posted "Pat" with three clapping emojis. Le Batard previously aired on ESPN.
veryGood! (96262)
Related
- Fate of Netflix Series America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Revealed
- Arakan Army resistance force says it has taken control of a strategic township in western Myanmar
- 'Fargo' finale: Season 5 cast; where and when to watch Episode 10 on TV, streaming
- Indonesia evacuates about 6,500 people on the island of Flores after a volcano spews clouds of ash
- What are the best financial advising companies? Help USA TODAY rank the top U.S. firms
- Jordan Love and the Packers pull a wild-card stunner, beating Dak Prescott and the Cowboys 48-32
- These 15 Products Will Help You Get the Best Sleep of Your Life
- Emmys finally arrive for a changed Hollywood, as ‘Succession’ and ‘Last of Us’ vie for top awards
- Voyager 2 is the only craft to visit Uranus. Its findings may have misled us for 40 years.
- King Frederik X visits Danish parliament on his first formal work day as Denmark’s new monarch
Ranking
- CRYPTIFII Introduce
- Georgia leaders propose $11.3M to improve reading as some lawmakers seek a more aggressive approach
- Some low-income kids will get more food stamps this summer. But not in these states.
- Mega Millions now at $187 million ahead of January 12 drawing. See the winning numbers.
- Family of security guard shot and killed at Portland, Oregon, hospital sues facility for $35M
- Alec Musser, 'All My Children's Del Henry and 'Grown Ups' actor, dies at 50: Reports
- In Uganda, refugees’ need for wood ravaged the forest. Now, they work to restore it
- Warning of higher grocery prices, Washington AG sues to stop Kroger-Albertsons merger
Recommendation
-
Isiah Pacheco injury updates: When will Chiefs RB return?
-
Denmark’s Queen Margrethe abdicates from the throne, son Frederik X becomes king
-
Former high-ranking Philadelphia police commander to be reinstated after arbitrator’s ruling
-
Men who say they were abused by a Japanese boy band producer criticize the company’s response
-
DWTS' Gleb Savchenko Shares Why He Ended Brooks Nader Romance Through Text Message
-
Who is Puka Nacua? What to know about the Rams record-setting rookie receiver
-
NBC News lays off dozens in latest bad news for US workforce. See 2024 job cuts so far.
-
What is 'Bills Mafia?' Here's everything you need to know about Buffalo's beloved fan base