Inside Aaron And Jordan Rodgers' Relationship Today
As the starting quarterback of the Green Bay Packers, footballer Aaron Rodgers has been in the public eye since 2008, but he's not the only Rodgers brother to grace our TV screens. In 2016, Jordan Rodgers burst onto the entertainment scene as a prospective suitor on Joelle Fletcher's season of The Bachelorette.
Beyond his relationship with JoJo, the frontrunner made headlines when he aired news of his family's rift with Aaron, revealing that although he was close with his brother Luke, Aaron was estranged from the rest of the Rodgers clan. "It's just the way he's chosen to do life," Jordan explained on the show (via People), adding he felt it was necessary to share the painful details of the brotherly split in order for JoJo to get to know him better. "You don't get any time off camera," Jordan told People. "So, we're talking about really trying to get to an engagement — you got to share everything. It had to be talked about."
As fans know, Jordan's vulnerability paid off. He and JoJo have been engaged since the show's finale, though the pair postponed their plans for a 2020 wedding due to COVID-19. But what about Jordan's relationship with Aaron? Here's everything we know today.
Aaron Rodgers supposedly hasn't spoken with his family since December 2014
In a 2016 Bleacher Report feature, a source close to Aaron Rodgers shared that the quarterback hasn't spoken with his family since December 2014. "Immediate family members don't even have his cellphone number," the source claimed, adding that Aaron made it clear the Rodgers clan was not welcome in Green Bay or at his games.
Although the exact reason for the falling out is clear, it's speculated that Aaron's ex-girlfriend, actress Olivia Munn, may have had something to do with the family feud. According to Us Weekly, Aaron's family was concerned about his three-year relationship, which ended in April 2017. "Aaron is the one that has pulled away from the family, not the reverse," a source told the publication before the pair split. "When he got together with Olivia, his family told him they didn't trust her and thought she wasn't with him for the right reasons. That made him furious and he ended up choosing Olivia over his family."
After the split, the X-Men star addressed her split from Aaron in May 2018 on SiriusXM's Radio Andy, telling the host, "It's not OK when you try to stand on someone's shoulders and then throw dirt in their face, which is what I think they [the Rodgers family] did with him [Aaron]." Jordan furiously hit back at her remarks, telling Us Weekly, "I have no idea why she's still talking about an ex. I don't get that."
Jordan Rodgers publicly slammed Aaron Rodgers over a tweet in 2018
Things between the Rodgers brothers went from bad to worse in November 2018, after Aaron Rodgers partnered with State Farm to help give back to the California wildfire relief efforts. "In Northern California, where I was born and raised, the city of Paradise burned to the ground and many of the residents who got out are now displaced to my hometown of Chico across the Chico state," Aaron told his followers in a since-deleted video.
While well-meaning, Aaron's comments clearly rubbed Jordan Rodgers the wrong way. According to Us Weekly, the quarterback's younger brother quipped, "PLEASE DONATE, SPREAD AWARENESS & SEND LOVE. But when your Mom is home alone during the fires, car packed ready to evacuate & you miss the fundamental first step of compassion; calling your parents to make sure they are safe...Everything else just feels like an act."
The third Rodgers sibling, Luke, waded into the controversy by retweeting Jordan's comments and adding a pointed barb of his own: "Smells like cowardice this morning." Judging by the social media interaction, it definitely seems like there's bad blood between this trio.
Is a reconciliation in the cards for the Rodgers brothers?
By 2019, however, things may have been looking up for the Rodgers clan. An October 2019 E! News piece reported that the band of brothers was looking to mend fences and put the past behind them. "Things between Aaron and his family are improving, slowly, but it is happening," an insider told the outlet. "Aaron is back on speaking terms with his family, including his brother Jordan, and it's really all happening with the help of Danica [Patrick, Aaron's then girlfriend], who is bridging the gap between everyone."
Unfortunately, the goodwill was short-lived. In January 2020, Aaron Rodgers joined Danica for an intimate conversation on her Pretty Intense podcast, revealing he'd never fully connected with his religious community when he was younger. "Most people that I knew, church was just... you had to go," Aaron told listeners.
According to People, the statement "dismayed" his family, who are dedicated to their Christian faith. "To them, his comments are basically a slap in the face to the fundamentals of who they are. It's basically him turning his back on everything they have taught him," a source told People, adding that Aaron's opposing religious views have further added to the estrangement.
While it's unclear where exactly things stand with the Rodgers clan today, we're wishing everyone all the best.