All about Aaron Rodgers’ parents: Aaron fell out with his family in 2014

Aaron Rodgers is widely regarded as one of the greatest NFL quarterbacks of all time. He has posted outrageous stats over the years and holds numerous NFL and college football records. Based on his stats, Aaron should have more than the one Super Bowl win he collected in 2010. 

When Rodgers led the Green Bay Packers to that win, his parents and brothers were in the stadium celebrating with him. Since then, however, Aaron’s family has disappeared from the stands and social media posts. The secretive Aaron has tried to keep the family drama away from the internet, but the feud between Aaron and his parents has leaked. 

Aaron’s parents, Darla and Ed Rodgers, met at California State University. They started a relationship and welcomed three sons: Luke, Aaron, and Jordan. Aaron is of German, Irish, and English ancestry. 

Ed Rodgers was a football player at California State University. After college, he tried out for several teams in the Canadian Football League, but no team signed him. Ed returned home, signed for a California semi-pro team, won two championships, and retired. 

Aaron and his brothers demonstrated athletic talent, so Ed started mentoring them. Ed advised Luke, Aaron, and Jordan not the party and drink in college as it would affect their output on the pitch: He blamed partying and alcohol for derailing his football career. 

Aaron heeded his father’s advice, becoming a star in college. 

Ed helped his sons directly by coaching football, and Darla helped by passing on her dancing genes to them. Darla was a star dancer in college, a trait she feels passed to her fleet-footed sons. She told Fox 6:

“I think that my guys [Aaron, Jordan, and Luke] got some of my dancer qualities. You have to know where you are in time and space when you’re dancing, and they definitely are running for their lives. They know where they are in time and space to be elusive, and I think that I kinda gave them some of that.”

The world first learned about the rift between Aaron and his family during Jordan Rodgers’ appearance on The Bachelorette. In the episode, Jordan told JoJo Fletcher that his Aaron wouldn’t be present when she met his family. 

“It’s just kind of the way he’s chosen to do life,” Jordan said. “I chose to stay close with my family and my parents and my brother, and, um, yeah, it’s just – it’s not ideal.” Jordan added that he doesn’t speak with his brother. 

A 2016 report by Tyler Dunne on Bleacher Report stated that Aaron hadn’t spoken with his family since December 2014. It said that Rodgers and his then-girlfriend, Olivia Munn, mailed back Christmas gifts sent by his parents.

It further alleged that Aaron didn’t attend his grandfather’s funeral and his family wasn’t welcome in his residence. “Fame can change things,” Ed told The New York Times in 2017. Ed appeared to blame Aaron for abandoning the family, but Munn spoke in defense of her ex-boyfriend. 

In 2018, Munn told Andy Cohen on Radio Andy that she tried to convince Andy to speak with his family, but attempts at reconciliation failed. Olivia also pointed to Aaron’s NFL success as a reason for the breakdown but accused his family of trying to use him. She said:

“I do believe that family and fame and success can be really complicated if their dreams are connected to your success. I do think it’s not okay when you try to stand on someone’s shoulders and then through dirt in their face, which is what I think they did with [Rodgers].”

In a late 2019 podcast with his ex-girlfriend Danica Patrick, Aaron pointed to religion as a feuding point between him and his family. Aaron stated that the church services he attended started to lose meaning as he grew. “Your parents made you go,” he said

Rodgers stated that he couldn’t wait to get back home to watch NFL. Exposure to other religions forced Aaron to question the Christian beliefs he’d learned. He said:

“I just didn’t find any connection points with those things and started questioning things. And had friends who had other beliefs and enjoyed learning. Ultimately it was the rules and regulations and binary systems don’t really resonate with me.”

People reported that Aaron’s comments angered his family. “They are dismayed,” a source said. “His comments are basically a slap in the face to the fundamentals of who they are. It’s basically him turning his back on everything they have taught him.”

The world learned that Aaron Rodgers hadn’t been vaccinated after he contracted coronavirus. The news surprised fans as Aaron had previously stated that he’d been immunized. 

Aaron defended his decision by stating that he’s allergic to an ingredient in the vaccine. He also blamed the confusion about his vaccination on the media’s reluctance to ask follow-up questions. Aaron also stated that he feared the vaccine would affect his reproductive capabilities. 

Ed Rodgers unexpectedly defended his son. “I think some of the people that are haters, I think if they listen to the show, I think he stated things very eloquently and very directly and succinctly,” Ed told USA Today. “I hope he continues to stand strong.”

Ed voiced his support for ‘natural’ treatment methods. “I think he tried to probably treat himself naturally, like a lot of folks do,” Ed added. “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 he went that route.”

The internet expressed shock that Ed, a chiropractor, was skeptical of the vaccine. “There’s a lot of things that aren’t so good about the vaccine,” Ed concluded.

Aaron and his brother Jordan haven’t enjoyed the easiest of relationships. It was Jordan that publicized Aaron’s feud with his family during his appearance on The Bachelorette. Jordan said it pained him that he didn’t have a relationship with Aaron. 

“I’m not going to speak on those things, but I wish him well in the competition,” Aaron told WISN 12 News

Jordan and Aaron clashed publicly when Jordan accused his older brother of neglecting the family during the California wildfires. The younger Rodgers responded to Aaron’s fundraising plea via the following tweet:

“PLEASE DONATE, SPREAD AWARENESS & SEND LOVE. But when you own mom is home alone during the fires, car packed ready to evacuate, & you miss the fundamental first step of compassion; calling your parents to make sure they are safe… Everything else just feels like an act.”

A source speaking to People stated that Aaron and Jordan have been life-long rivals. “[They] have always been competitive, and they’re always trying to one-up each other,” the source said. “It’s been that way since they were kids. They got older, and the stakes got higher.” 

The source said that the brothers’ feud blew up after a disagreement. “Some things were said on both sides that were regrettable,” the source said. “Their parents got in the middle of it. Everyone needed a cooling off period.”

Aaron and Jordan are reportedly still feuding but love each other. “They are just like any other family, with petty arguments and jealousy and all the other things,” the source said. “But at the end of the day, they really do love each other. But the relationship is strained.”