Joe Rogan Has a Question for Jimmy Kimmel

Joe Rogan revealed there are questions he would like to see Jimmy Kimmel asked, should the late-night talk show host ever sit down for an interview with NFL star Aaron Rodgers.

Comedian Kimmel and New York Jets quarterback Rodgers have been publicly taking swipes at one another over such issues as the COVID-19 vaccines and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, whose 2019 death in jail was ruled a suicide.

During his appearance on a January 2 installment of Pat McAfee's ESPN talk show, Rodgers suggested that Kimmel would take issue with the unsealing of documents that included the names of former associates, employees, friends and victims of the deceased financier.

"A lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, are really hoping that [list] doesn't come out," Rodgers said, before the first batch of documents was unsealed on January 3.

Kimmel, who subsequently hit back at Rodgers on social media and threatened legal action, didn't appear on the headline-making list.

The names were unsealed from a lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre, an alleged trafficking victim, against British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former girlfriend. Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence after she was convicted in December 2021 of helping him recruit and sexually abuse underage girls.

Many of those whose names appear in the documents released aren't accused of wrongdoing or have been mentioned previously in legal proceedings or news accounts. Despite persistent assertions across social media, the documents released are not a Jeffrey Epstein "client list."

Along with politicians were the names of several celebrities, whose inclusion, in some cases, is based merely on conversations relayed by an Epstein accuser as she recounted his ties to the rich and famous.

During an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, which went live on February 7, the titular host asked Rodgers about "the Kimmel thing," after the athlete spoke of "certain media members" who "wanted to shut [him] down" over his stance against COVID vaccines.

Asked if he's ever spoken to Kimmel, Rodgers responded: "I've been on his show, years ago," sparking laughter from the host.

"Would you ever have a conversation with him in person?" Rogan asked, prompting Rogers to say: "Of course. I mean, they wanted me to be on his show in the summertime, after I got traded.

"There had obviously been some things that he had said about me that made me go, 'I don't know if I wanna do that. I'd rather maybe have a side conversation first, iron some things out."

"Also, I don't think that conversation is a conversation that should be held in front of an audience in five-minute chunks, like they do on television," Rogan added. "That's a conversation they have to let air out. I wanna know why you think the way you think... You know, sit down with Jimmy.

"Why do you think the way you think? Why would you think that it's OK to say that it's a real simple thing that people that have been vaccinated, you treat them and the people that took 'horse goo,' rest in peace wheezy. Really? Is that really how you feel?"

Newsweek has contacted representatives of Kimmel via email for comment.

On his show in 2021, Kimmel cited then-chief medical adviser to the president Dr. Anthony Fauci, when he said: "Dr. Fauci said if hospitals get any more crowded, they're going to have to make some very tough choices about who gets an ICU bed."

"That choice doesn't seem so tough to me," he went on. "Vaccinated person having a heart attack? Yes, come right on in. We'll take care of you. Unvaccinated guy who gobbled horse goo? Rest in peace, wheezy."

The "horse goo" comment was made in reference to those who had touted use of ivermectin to treat COVID. The drug is typically used to treat parasites in animals.

After testing positive for COVID in 2021, Rodgers said he had been taking the anti-malaria medication hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin to treat his symptoms. According to medical authorities, neither medication has any proven effect on COVID symptoms.

On its website, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says it "closely monitors the safety of COVID-19 vaccines. Almost 700 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in the United States to date, and monitoring in multiple safety systems has established their favorable safety profile."

The CDC adds that: "The most common reactions following COVID-19 vaccines are pain, redness, and swelling where the shot was given, and headache, fever, muscle aches, chills, or fatigue. Anaphylaxis [severe allergic reaction to the vaccine] has been rarely observed following COVID-19 vaccines. These types of allergic reactions can rarely occur with any kind of vaccine or medical product."