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In 1901, author Frank Norris published his novel The Octopus. The book was based on his experience as a journalist covering the sprawling railroad in California. He realized that, like an octopus, the railroad touched on nearly every aspect of life. However, there were dangers in that. The tentacles would occasionally intertwine, causing more significant problems for the industry.
The Walt Disney Company found out just how dangerous that can be this week. NFL quarterback claimed that ABC’s late-night talk show host, Jimmy Kimmel, was nervous about the release of the Jeffrey Epstein list. The insinuation was that Kimmel may appear on the list. The comment itself wasn’t what caused problems for Disney; it was where he made the comment. Rodgers made the comment about Kimmel on the Pat McAfee show on ESPN. So now Disney is in the middle of a feud between two of its highest-paid stars.
The feud between Aaron Rodgers and Jimmy Kimmel goes back to two years ago. Rodgers allegedly told the Green Bay Packers, his team at the time, that he was vaccinated but later said he did not get the shots. After Rodgers got Covid, Kimmel poked fun at him on his show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Earlier this year, Rodgers was back on the Pat McAfee show when he claimed that people were talking more about UFO sightings to distract from the release of the Jeffrey Epstein list. Kimmel, again, made a joke at Rodgers’ expense, saying he wore a “tin foil hat.”
But this week, Rodgers said:
A lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, are really hoping that doesn’t come out … If that list comes out, I will definitely be popping some sort of bottle.
Kimmel took to X (formerly Twitter) to fire back at Rodgers, claiming that a comment like that put his family in danger and that he would see Rodgers in court. You can see the tweet here.
NEW: Quarterback Aaron Rodgers says he will pop "some sort of bottle" when the Epstein associates list is released and suggests Jimmy Kimmel will be named.
Everyone is excited 🔥
“There’s a lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel are really hoping that doesn't come out.”
“I'll… pic.twitter.com/JRzjznVM7T
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 2, 2024
ESPN senior vice president of digital and studio production Mike Foss said in a statement to Front Office Sports:
Pat announced today that he’s planning on Aaron joining the show Tuesday. Aaron made a dumb and factually inaccurate joke about Jimmy Kimmel. The show will continue to evolve. It wouldn’t surprise me if Aaron’s role evolves with it. It should never have happened. We all realized that in the moment.
McAfee took exception to the statement, claiming that executives at ESPN have been trying to “sabotage” his show. McAfee did apologize to Kimmel on his show, saying:
I can see exactly why Jimmy Kimmel felt the way he felt, especially with his position. But I think Aaron was just trying to talk s***.
And this is where Disney comes in. This feud pits its two highest-paid hosts against each other. Jimmy Kimmel is the face of Disney, outside of the cartoons. He makes $15 million a year and is one of the highest-rated late-night hosts on television. Disney just signed Pat McAfee to a $15 million per year contract to bring his talk show to ESPN. Both men are ratings juggernauts, and with ABC suffering, Disney needs Jimmy Kimmel Live!
But it also came out recently that McAfee pays Aaron Rodgers $450,000 for his spot every week. So, Disney is technically paying the person who just slammed its late-night host.
The Walt Disney Company is now in the awkward position of having to side with one host over the other in this feud. Kimmel and McAfee have die-hard fans, but Kimmel has been with the company for over 20 years and is right that this could end up in court.
We will see what choice the Walt Disney Company decides to make, as it appears that two of its tentacles are twisted together with no way of undoing it.
We will continue to update this news at Disney Fanatic.
So Kimmie can make jokes about others but they cannot say anything back at him? He is the very definition of not funny. No accounting for taste if he is one of the highest rated late night hosts. Who watches this guy. Guess the same ones who think our country is doing great and border jumping is cool at taxpayers expense.