Aaron Rodgers Explains Why He Shut Down ‘Disrespectful’ Gay Rumors: ‘It Was Meant to Shame the Idea of Being Gay’

The NFL quarterback confirmed his sexuality back in 2013, after whispers began circulating about his love life.

August 23, 2024

Aaron Rodgers is looking to set the record straight on those decade-old gay rumors.

In Ian O’Connor’s new biography, Out of the Darkness: The Mystery of Aaron Rodgers, the New York Jets quarterback revisited the questions about his sexuality and his decision to address those whispers in the media. He alluded to a 2013 episode of Tuesdays with Aaron, an ESPN Milwaukee program co-hosted by Jason Wilde.

“Yeah, I’m just going to say, I’m not gay,” Rodgers said during the 2013 broadcast. “I really, really like women. That’s all I can say about that. There’s always going to be silly stuff out there in the media, and you can’t worry too much about [it], and I don’t. … I think there should be, professional is professional, and personal is personal. And that’s just how I’m going to keep it.”

A decade later, Rodgers is shedding more light on his comments and why he was so bothered by all the gay speculation.

“I think I was upset at the framing [of the rumor] because it was meant to shame the idea of being gay, and I have so many friends that are gay in the community,” he said in the book, as reported by TMZ. “And right before that, [Wilde] and I actually have talked about this multiple times, and I said, ‘I want to go after them, the people saying this.’ Not in relation to me, because I could give a shit what they thought about me, but that they’re using this to shame, like it’s a bad thing to be gay. Like it’s a negative.”

He continued: “I’m like, ‘Say anything you want about me, but do you understand these people are using this to shame the idea of being gay?’ That’s just disrespectful to all my friends who are in the community who don’t believe that it’s a choice. They were making it seem like you’re shaming people for being gay, when a lot of them, if you ask them, they didn’t ask for this life. ‘This is who I am.’”

Although it’s clear Rodgers prefers to keep his love life private, the four-time NFL MVP, has had numerous high-profile relationships over the years. He’s been romantically linked to Olivia Munn; Danica Patrick; Shailene Woodley; and, most recently, model Mallory Edens, the daughter of Milwaukee Bucks owner Wes Edens.