Eight years after JoJo Fletcher’s season of The Bachelorette, Aaron Rodgers is finally addressing how brother Jordan Rodgers portrayed their falling-out on the show — and the NFL quarterback isn’t comfortable.
“It wasn’t like I used to be super duper close with everybody within the family. I used to be close with my little brother,” Aaron, 41, began of Jordan, 36, on episode two of Aaron Rodgers: Enigma, which began streaming on Tuesday, December 17. “But in truth, it goes back to stuff from highschool that sort of made me feel distant. Stuff in college, stuff post-college.”
Each Aaron and Jordan played football growing up and in college, with Aaron getting drafted in the primary round by the Green Bay Packers in 2005. While Jordan had a successful profession as quarterback at Vanderbilt, he was released by three NFL teams before pursuing other opportunities.
Aaron told Netflix cameras that he “was quiet about” their family issues, explaining, “I believed the perfect method to do it was just don’t speak about it publicly.”
His plan worked until 2016 when Jordan signed up for ABC dating series and made it to hometowns. Aaron was noticeably missing from the family dinner, which included their parents, Ed and Darla, and oldest sibling Luke Rodgers.
“And what do they do? They go on a bulls— show and leave two empty chairs,” Aaron continued.
Aaron Rodgers, JoJo Fletcher, Jordan Rodgers. Getty Images(3)
Fans may recall a slight emphasis from Bachelorette editors that two seats from the table implied to represent Aaron and then-girlfriend Olivia Munn.
“All of them agreed this was an excellent thing to do, to depart two empty chairs at a silly dating show that my brother just went on to get famous — his words, not mine. That he ended up winning,” Aaron said with a smirk. “But a dinner that was through the season, I used to be never asked to go to. Not that I’d’ve gone.”
On the show, Jordan addressed Aaron’s absence by telling JoJo: “At every step of my life, I used to be sort of upset. Regardless of what I did, it was never ok because I used to be being in comparison with someone who did it the perfect. Football didn’t define me and never having an incredible relationship with my brother Aaron didn’t define me.” He noted on the time that the siblings hadn’t spoken in two years due to “the best way he’s chosen to do life.”
Aaron was asked about Jordan’s gig by the media when the series was airing. “I haven’t seen the show, to be honest with you, so it hasn’t really affected me an entire lot,” he said in summer 2016. “So far as those sorts of things go, I’ve all the time found that it’s slightly inappropriate to speak publicly about some family matters, so I’m just — I’m not going to talk on those things.”
The four-time NFL MVP ended with a dig that went viral in Bachelor Nation, saying, “But I wish him well within the competition.”
While Aaron and Jordan’s relationship continues to be strained, Jordan went on to marry JoJo in 2022.
“People ask me, ‘Is there hope for reconciliation?’ I say, ‘Yeah in fact. After all,’” Aaron said on the Netflix show. “I don’t want them to fail, to struggle, to have any strife or issues. I don’t wish any in poor health will on them in any respect. It’s more like this — we’re just different steps on a timeline of our own journeys.”
All three episodes of Aaron Rodgers: Enigma are currently streaming on Netflix.
