Every well-adjusted adult with a fully formed personality has probably gotten into at least a hint of family drama in their lifetime. That’s why when celebrities’ messy home lives make the front page news, while we’re definitely looking, at least we’re looking respectfully. The apparent rift between NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers and his family first found its way into the mainstream when his brother Jordan appeared on The Bachelorette. While fans could expect Jordan’s thirsty reality TV moment to lead to a slightly embarrassed reaction from his A-list older brother, it was a huge surprise that Aaron didn’t appear on Jordan’s hometown date and that Jordan was willing to spill the beans on why. What Jordan told his soon-to-be wife Jojo (and the cameras) made it clear there was some kind of beef. Cut to 2024 and the rumored drama has not let up. So, it’s only fair to ask: Why doesn’t Aaron Rodgers talk to his family? Here’s a breakdown of the alleged Rodgers family feud.
When did Aaron Rodgers stop talking to his family?
The dynamic between Aaron Rodgers and his parents Ed and Darla allegedly shifted in 2014 after he started dating Olivia Munn, according to The New York Post. Sources said that the first meeting between Aaron, his girlfriend, and his parents went well, after a home game in Green Bay. But after Aaron flopped abysmally on the field during an away match in Buffalo, NYP reports that Olivia had a bone to pick. She allegedly told Ed and Darla they should not attend Aaron’s next game in Tampa as they had previously planned.
Unsurprisingly, the people who brought Aaron Rodgers into the world may not have been thrilled to be gatekept from their son by a host from the G4 network. Sources claim Olivia and the Rodgers got into it over the phone, and Aaron refused to see them at the Tampa game as a response. While Ed and Darla maintain they never insulted Olivia, family friends anonymously reported that their conservative Christian values didn’t align with Olivia’s unfiltered interviews about their sex life and the couple living together before marriage. Aaron allegedly later wrote an email that read, “Don’t attack the woman I love.” A few returned Christmas presents and public jokes about BJs later, and the familial ties were super strained. But as detailed in the tell-all book Out of the Darkness: The Mystery of Aaron Rodgers, Olivia’s comments about how she was trying to fix their family was the final straw.
In a bold interview with Radio Andy, Olivia said “I do believe that family and fame and success can be really complicated if their dreams are connected to your success… I don’t think either side of the road is clean, but I do think it’s not OK when you try to stand on someone’s shoulders and then throw dirt in their face.” Olivia Munn’s implication that Aaron’s family was taking advantage of his profile for their various businesses is a major theory as to why Aaron cut them off. Aaron told author Ian O’Connor despite his parents’ claims about when and why things fell apart, Olivia Munn “has nothing to do with all the years before.”
What happened with Aaron Rodgers and his brother Jordan?
Aaron is actually a middle child (honestly that tracks) but Rodgers’ fallout with his younger brother Jordan has gotten the most attention. Jordan was a QB at Vanderbilt and briefly spent time in the NFL. He was apparently close to Aaron, as he was spotted at Aaron’s 2015 MVP ceremony even though their parents didn’t attend. But that closeness also created an ongoing competition between the sibs, which according to sources reported in People, came to a head when Jordan spoke about it publicly. And TBF, people do have a lot to say about Aaron to the press.
Colleagues of Aaron’s from his days in the Packers Nation say that if “you get on his bad side, you cross him once, you are dead to him.” His former BFF (who Aaron also cut ties with prior to the Olivia drama in 2014) shared that “if Aaron feels his family or other people in his life have laid claim to something based on his efforts, Aaron will then go out of his way to make sure they earn their own way.”
What has Luke Rodgers said about Aaron Rodgers’ family feud?
The eldest Rodgers bro is still close with Jordan, Ed, and Darla. During Jordan’s 2016 family visit on The Bachelorette, Jordan expressed that “the way Aaron chose to do life” is to be separate from their family. Luke Rodgers weighed in on the situation too. Luke expressed on camera “It’s something we don’t really like to talk about a whole lot. It pains both of us like, not to have that relationship…we miss our brother. I trust that God brings things full circle and that everything would just get back to us being a family.” At the time, Aaron declined to comment directly on what his family outed during the episode.
When was the last time Aaron Rodgers spoke to his family?
In 2023, Aaron’s dad, Ed, attended a golf tournament to be close to Aaron. They were able to briefly speak during the event. Hugging and saying “I love you” to his son brought Ed Rodgers to tears, according to his own recollection shared in the Rodgers biography. Both of his parents also attended his season opener for the Jets that fall, but there is no record they made contact with their son during the game.
