ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show has found itself in hot water and potential legal jeopardy with one of the parent company’s biggest stars, and McAfee doesn’t seem to be on the same page as his bosses.
During an appearance earlier this week, New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers — a frequent guest on the show — implied Jimmy Kimmel, host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC, would appear on the Jeffrey Epstein list, seemingly without any evidence.
ABC is owned by Disney, as is ESPN.
After Kimmel threatened potential legal action, ESPN senior vice president Mike Foss called Rodgers’ comments “dumb and factually inaccurate,” Front Office Sports first reported Friday.
“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 continued reporting that “Foss did not condone Rodgers’s comments, but he says he expects the Jets quarterback to remain on the show through the rest of the football season.” More from the report:
“Pat announced today that he’s planning on Aaron joining the show Tuesday. Aaron made a dumb and factually inaccurate joke about Jimmy Kimmel,” Foss tells Front Office Sports on Friday. “The show will continue to evolve. It wouldn’t surprise me if Aaron’s role evolves with it.”
McAfee has taken a much different tone, however. He initially brushed off Rodgers’ comments as a joke, and he took his rhetoric a step further on his Friday show.
He accused Norby Williamson, an executive senior vice president of studio and event production at ESPN, of sabotaging his program. McAfee went as far as calling Williamson a “rat.”
Pat McAfee — while on ESPN — accuses certain ESPN executives of sabotaging his show and leaking info to the media.
McAfee specifically names Norby Williamson, Executive VP of Production.pic.twitter.com/EeGTXGyd55
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) January 5, 2024
McAfee said he believes Williamson is leaking false information about his show in order to make the program look bad. The Pat McAfee Show began on YouTube in 2020 but has aired on ESPN since September when the network acquired it in a lucrative deal.
McAfee also appears as a co-host for ESPN’s College GameDay.
While it’s clear that the suits at ESPN are intent on smoothing things over with Kimmel, who has hosted his show on ABC since 2003, McAfee seems to have different plans.