Aaron Rodgers Gives Rare Update On Relationship With Estranged Family
The world first found out about Aaron Rodgers' longtime estrangement from his family in a stunning fashion — an episode of "The Bachelorette." His brother, Jordan Rodgers, shared on a 2016 episode of the show that he and Aaron had a nonexistent relationship. "It's just the way he's chosen to do life," Jordan said (via ET). He also added that, unlike Aaron, he has chosen "to stay close" with his family, including their oldest brother, Luke.
With sources revealing to ET that year the estrangement has been "painful for the family," the situation allegedly worsened during Rodgers' 2014-2017 relationship with actor Olivia Munn, per Us Weekly. Reportedly, Aaron's fam didn't trust Munn and tried to warn him after they began dating. According to an Us insider, they thought Munn "wasn't with him for the right reasons." Infuriating Aaron, this caused him to "[choose] Olivia over his family." The source also emphasized that Aaron was the one deciding his fate with his family, and "not the reverse."
Given that Aaron appeared to have been snubbed in his nephew's June birth announcement, the Rodgers family feud rages on. Meanwhile, the notoriously private 10-time Pro Bowler has opened up about their prospects of reconciliation.
Aaron Rodgers believes in an eventual 'reconciliation'
Expressing "deep gratitude and love" for his upbringing, Aaron Rodgers was surprisingly optimistic describing his family situation on an August 3 episode of the "Aubrey Marcus Podcast," (via Us Weekly). Heaping praise upon his dad for the sacrifices made to give him his athletic opportunities, Aaron explained, "The fact that he was willing to take a chance and go through the poverty that we experienced to make a better life for his kids ... My age, he went back to chiropractic college trying to give us a better life — I have deep, deep gratitude for that."
Due to this and "lessons" learned from various familial experiences, Rodgers shared that he doesn't see their estrangement as a "glass half-empty" situation. Affirming that he has "no bitterness in my heart," the multi-time NFL MVP also expressed a belief in "healing" and "the possibility of reconciliation at some point." As Aaron himself said on the podcast, "Who knows ... when the time is going to come," seeing as how he was a no-show at brother Jordan's May wedding, per Us Weekly.
If Aaron's comments about reconciliation seem somewhat oblique, it's possibly because a very intimate matter — faith — is at the core of his family feud. During a 2020 appearance on ex-girlfriend Danica Patrick's "Pretty Intense" podcast, the quarterback questioned his Christianity, which an insider described to People as "a slap in the face" to his family. "They were dismayed," the source shared at the time.
Aaron Rodgers missed his brother's wedding
Aaron Rodgers's assertion may be surprising to some, as the athlete appears to still have a strained relationship with his brother, Jordan Rodgers. Jordan — who found love with JoJo Fletcher on Season 12 of "The Bachelorette" — tied the knot in May, but Aaron appeared to be missing from the ceremony. And while the state of Aaron and Jordan's relationship is unclear, the Green Bay Packers star was absent from photos or videos taken at the wedding. The brothers are also not following each other on Instagram, as of August 6.
Meanwhile, there appears to be no bad blood between the eldest Rodgers sibling, Luke Rodgers, and Jordan. When announcing the birth of his first child with wife Aimee Rodgers, Luke shared the news that they named their son after the reality star. "Jack Jordan Rodgers," Aimee wrote on Instagram, adding, "Luke picked his name out 3 years ago, Jack means 'God is gracious' and Jordan after one of the best men we know @jrodgers11 — Jack is going to adore you Uncle Jordan."
Aaron Rodgers' relationship with his dad is also shaky
In 2017, Ed Rodgers — Aaron Rodgers' dad — made a shocking claim about his relationship with his son. Ed — who works as a chiropractor in Aaron's hometown of Chico, California — told The New York Times that he hadn't spoken to the NFL star in two years. It was during that time, as Ed claimed, that Aaron began dating now-ex-girlfriend Olivia Munn. When asked by the publication if he believed his relationship with the athlete was getting better, Ed replied, "It's hard to tell sometimes."
However, in a more gleaming show of support, Ed came to Aaron's defense amid his comments about the COVID-19 vaccine in November 2021. "I think he tried to probably treat himself naturally, like a lot of folks do," Ed told USA Today. "And there's a lot of great natural things out there, which help mitigate the virus. So I'm proud of him. I'm proud that he went that route." Ed went on to explain that while he hadn't spoken to Aaron about the matter, their relationship is "progressing."