The middle child of Ed and Darla Rodgers, NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers spent some time as the family’s black sheep in recent years.
While Aaron’s podcaster older brother Luke and TV-personality younger brother Jordan remained close with their Northern California-based parents, the future Pro Football Hall of Famer was estranged over a family dispute that has never been fully articulated, publicly.
But as the 42-year-old Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback has recently revealed, things have thawed between himself and his family, although Jordan’s public discussion of the conflict appears to still irk Aaron.
‘I’ve been really staunch, going back to when there was a schism, that I feel like that stuff should be off limits,’ Aaron told The Athletic in an article published Monday. ‘Now, not everybody in the family adhered to the same thing…’
Aaron did not call out Jordan by name, but the younger sibling was the one who revealed the family rift years earlier as a contestant on ABC’s The Bachelorette.
‘Me and Aaron don’t really have that much of a relationship,’ he said during a recorded family meal at the Rodgers family home in Chico. ‘It’s just kind of the way he’s chosen to do life, and I’ve chosen to stay close with my family and my parents and my brother.’
Aaron Rodgers, 42, takes a knee during Steelers practice last week in Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Jordan Rodgers has worked as a college football analyst and a Bachelorette star on ABC
‘Yeah, it’s not ideal, and I love him,’ Jordan continued, as quoted by the New York Post. ‘I can’t imagine what it’s like to be in his shoes and have the pressure he has, the demands from people that he has. I don’t have hard feelings against him. It’s just how things are right now.’
That family dinner included two empty chairs, conceivably for Rodgers and his then-girlfriend, actress Olivia Munn.
Aaron addressed that episode of the Bachelorette in the 2024 documentary, Enigma.
‘They go on a bulls*** show and leave two empty chairs?’ he said. ‘They all agree that this is 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.’
Aaron went on to make cryptic remarks about his family’s Christian faith, which he described as a ‘merit-based spirituality,’ and also said he and Jordan’s relationship suffered due to ‘stuff from high school … stuff in college, stuff post-college.’
But the family seemed to turn a page last month, when Aaron shared photos of himself hanging out with his parents, Luke and Luke’s children.
Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers reunited with members of his family after a period of estrangement
In a series of photos posted to social media, Rodgers was also seen with his older brother, Luke
The 42-year-old NFL star was seen tinkering with children’s toys for Luke’s two children
(From left) Darla, Aimee, JoJo, Jordan, Luke and Ed Rodgers are pictured without Aaron
Neither Jordan nor Aaron’s new wife Brittani were pictured, but Aaron has credited her with helping to bring him back to his family.
‘… there are different things, situations, experiences, and people that actually change your life,’ Aaron told The Athletic. ‘So, when I say that my wife has completely changed my life, for the better, there’s no comparison to any time I’ve ever said those words before.
‘She is the big impetus behind that [reconciliation]. Not that she was pushing it, but just the way that she loves me and supports me, it’s allowed me to open up to that possibility. And it’s been a couple-year process of communication and spending time together, but that is a real blessing in my life to have those relationships back and to close that circle that was cut for so many years. With her by my side, we reopened that door, and it’s been really beautiful.’
Brittani has yet to be publicly identified due to Aaron’s desire to keep their relationship out of the public spotlight. He has, however, discussed her with media on several occasions.
