Aaron Rodgers says Jimmy Kimmel will be on Epstein list - US TV host responds to 'phony nonsense' on Twitter

American football player Aaron Rodgers has come under fire from Jimmy Kimmel over "reckless words" that associated the late-night talk show host with Jeffrey Epstein.

Kimmel, who will host the Oscars for the fourth time in March, said the New York Jets quarterback's claims have "put his family in danger." He also threatened to sue the NFL star if Rodgers continued his claims.

Rodgers had hinted that Kimmel would appear in documents pertaining to over 170 individuals who were either friends, associates or victims of disgraced financier Epstein, which are expected to be released shortly following a December court decision.

The individuals due to be named were given 14 days to appeal against the judge’s decision, meaning the details are likely to be released in early January.

Kimmel wrote on Twitter: “Dear Aasshole: for the record, I’ve not met, flown with, visited, or had any contact whatsoever with Epstein, nor will you find my name on any ‘list’ other than the clearly-phony nonsense that soft-brained wackos like yourself can’t seem to distinguish from reality.

“Your reckless words put my family in danger. Keep it up and we will debate the facts further in court. @AaronRodgers12.”

It's not the first time the pair have traded barbs. Rodgers, who previously sparked controversy with his anti-vaccine stance, had previously been branded as a “tin-foil hatter” by Kimmel.

On Monday 18 December, US Judge Loretta Preska ruled that files - part of a 2015 US defamation case by Virginia Giuffre against Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite who supplied Epstein with underage girls - be made public.

Judge Preska ordered some individuals should be named because they had already given interviews to the media – including Johanna Sjoberg, who has claimed Prince Andrew touched her breast while sitting on a couch inside the US billionaire’s Manhattan apartment in 2001.

With nearly 200 names - previously only known as John and Jane Does - set to be made public, the release of the 'Epstein list' could cause headaches for some high profile figures.

Of course, until the names are actually released, we won't know for sure which high profile figures are included among them.

The names of the until now anonymous John Does will be the focus of much scrutiny, and are expected to include a former US president, actors, professors, and the now-reclusive Prince Andrew.

Other names expected to be made public include those first revealed by Epstein's scheduling diaries, leaked to the Wall Street Journal in 2023 amid Epstein-related lawsuits between the US Virgin Islands and two US banks.

CIA director William Burns, and Kathryn Ruemmler - White House counsel under Barack Obama - were among the prominent names that surfaced.

Lesser-known individuals included activist and professor Noam Chomsky, billionaire venture capitalist Reid Hoffman, and former Harvard president and Obama's National Economic Council director, Lawrence Summers.

Other names included Woody Allen, Bill Gates, former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak, former Norwegian prime minister Thorbjørn Jagland, and former head of Barclays, Jes Staley.

It should be noted that the release of these names, and any further names that become public as part of the unsealing, do not suggest any criminality.