Bachelor Nation
Aaron Rodgers Blasts ‘Bachelorette’ as ‘Stupid Dating Show’ & Addresses Jordan Rodgers Rift
Aaron Rodgers is finally ready to talk about his brother, Jordan Rodgers, and the younger Rodgers’ stint on The Bachelorette. Or as the football player would like to call it: “the competition.”
When Jordan was on The Bachelorette, it was common knowledge that Aaron had a fraught relationship with the family. This family feud became obvious when hometowns rolled around and two seats were left open for Rodgers and his girlfriend at the time, Olivia Munn. Years after Jordan’s run on The Bachelorette, Aaron is finally speaking out about his relationship with his brother and his feelings about the show.
In Episode 2 of Aaron Rodgers: Enigma, the four-time NFL MVP began by saying, “It wasn’t like I was super duper close with everybody in the family. I was close with my little brother.” He went on to explain where things went wrong. “But in actuality, it goes back to stuff from high school that kind of made me feel distant. Stuff in college, stuff post-college,” he added.
Both of the Rodgers brothers played football throughout their youth, but while the New York Jets player went on to be drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 2005, Jordan didn’t have that same kind of luck. The Bachelor Nation favorite had a successful career as a quarterback at Vanderbilt, but he was released from three NFL teams before pursuing other opportunities.
Alluding that this could’ve caused a rift, Rodger didn’t share much more about their history. He told the Netflix team that he “was quiet about” their family issues. “I thought the best way to do it was just don’t talk about it publicly,” he said. Yet, all became fair game when Jordan went on a reality dating show.
When JoJo Fletcher‘s hometown date with Jordan rolled around, his parents, Ed and Darla, as well as older sibling Luke, appeared in the episode, but Aaron seemingly opted out. According to Aaron, he wasn’t even asked. “Not that I would’ve gone,” he stated.
Aaron did have an issue with the setup. “And what do they do? They go on a bullsh*t show and leave two empty chairs,” he said. “They all agreed this was a good thing to do, to leave two empty chairs at a stupid dating show that my brother just went on to get famous — his words, not mine. That he ended up winning.”
Jordan and The Bachelorette lead eventually ended up getting married in 2022. Aaron did not attend.
During his time on the show in 2016, Jordan was candid about his relationship with his brother. “At every step of my life, I was kind of disappointed,” Jordan said. “No matter what I did, it was never good enough because I was being compared to someone who did it the best. Football didn’t define me and not having a great relationship with my brother Aaron didn’t define me.” He revealed that the siblings hadn’t spoken in two years because of “the way he’s chosen to do life.”
Aaron appeared to reply to that statement when he was asked by the media about Jordan’s gig on the series while it was airing. “I haven’t seen the show, to be honest with you, so it hasn’t really affected me a whole lot,” the quarterback said at the time. He added, “As far as those kinds of things go, I’ve always found that it’s a little inappropriate to talk publicly about some family matters, so I’m just — I’m not going to speak on those things.”
The 41-year-old ended the segment with a statement that went viral in Bachelor Nation: But I wish him well in the competition.”
Jordan excelled at “the competition.” He’s happily married to JoJo, and they’re thinking about expanding their family soon.
As for Aaron, he doesn’t think reconciliation with his brother is out of the picture. “People ask me, ‘Is there hope for reconciliation?’ I say, “Yeah, of course. Of course,” he said. “I don’t want them to fail, to struggle, to have any strife or issues. I don’t wish any ill will on them at all. It’s more like this — we’re just different steps on a timeline of our own journeys.”
Aaron Rodgers: Enigma, Streaming Now, Netflix
