On January 10, 2024, Pat McAfee confirmed that Aaron Rodgers would no longer appear on “The Pat McAfee Show” for the remainder of Season 4. “There’s going to be a lot of people that are happy with that — myself included, to be honest,” he said. “The way it ended, it got real loud, and I’m happy that that is not going to be my [social media] mentions going forward.” McAfee added that Rodgers’ Jimmy Kimmel comments opened the door for critics to attack the show, clarifying that freedom of speech doesn’t protect the quarterback from consequences.
Towards the end of his statement, the podcast host also acknowledged that he was lucky to have Rodgers on the show but was ultimately thankful that he didn’t have to deal with negative pushback anymore. “Some of his thoughts and opinions do p**s off a lot of people, and I am pumped that that is no longer going to be every single Wednesday of my life, which it has been for the last few weeks,” he concluded.
According to TMZ, ESPN execs did not pitch the decision to let go of Rodgers, with a source revealing that the call came from McAfee himself. A day before being let go, Rodgers doubled down on his comments, telling McAfee, “I don’t think he’s the P-word. I wish him the best. Again, I don’t give a s**t what he says about me. As long as he understands what I actually said and that I’m not accusing him of being on the list.”