Kriti Mehrotra
With sports documentaries having been on the rise over the past few years, it’s honestly no surprise an athlete like Aaron Rodgers has found himself in a different spotlight with one of his own. This star quarterback has had a truly remarkable career, so Netflix’s ‘Aaron Rodgers: Enigma’ follows his journey as he rebounds from a 2023 injury while also chronicling his defining moments. Therefore, of course, there is significant mention of his family, especially considering they have not had a great interpersonal relationship since the mid-2010s when he was essentially at his peak.
Aaron Rodgers Credits His Parents For the Man He is Today
It was on December 2, 1983, when Aaron was born in Chico, California, as the middle child of Darla Leigh Pittman and Edward Wesley Rodgers’ three boys. His elder brother’s name is Luke, whereas his younger brother is Jordan, amongst whom he grew up playing ball in the yard. According to the football star’s own accounts, it was really early on that his father instilled in the brothers not to drink and not to party too much because they might limit their sports abilities, and he really took it to heart. That’s how he was able to hone his skills throughout high school and college before going pro.
As if that’s not enough, in the documentary series, Aaron even asserted that his parents treated him quite soft growing up because that’s just how they were in their conservative community. However, instead of deeming it bad, he believes it to be a positive because it taught him to handle adversity on his own and work hard to prove to himself that he has what it takes to shine. But alas, things allegedly weren’t always sunshine and roses for the family as their beliefs and conservativeness sometimes felt hindering to Aaron, and the brothers were apparently very, very competitive from the get-go.
The Rodgers Family Blame Fame For Their Estrangement From Aaron
It was in 2016 when it first came to light that the Green Bay Packers’ starting quarterback and NFL winner, Aaron, hasn’t been close to his family for at least a couple of years. This happened during his younger brother Jordan’s appearance on ‘The Bachelorette‘ season 12 (Joelle “JoJo” Fletcher’s season) when he took her to his hometown to meet his family, and Aaron was noticeably missing. There were actually two empty chairs at the dinner table, which made things even more prominent, especially as Luke and his then-girlfriend were there, right across from the brothers’ parents.
“[Being estranged from our family is] just the way [Aaron has] chosen to do life,” Jordan explained on the show. “I chose to stay close with my family and my parents and my brother [Luke].” Then, in 2017, the patriarch, Edward, came forward to tell The New York Times that “Fame can change things,” adding that the estrangement began around 2014 and things have remained complicated. Nevertheless, Aaron has never commented on this situation directly except to indicate he will deal with personal matters privately. He has said, “As far as those kinds of things go, I’ve always found that it’s a little inappropriate to talk publicly about some family matters, so I’m just — I’m not going to speak on those things.”
Despite the Ups and Downs, Aaron Rodgers Has Held onto Hope For Reconciliation
Things took a turn for Aaron in April 2018 when his younger brother Jordan made a National Sibling Day post on his Instagram profile but only included the eldest of the trio, Luke. In the caption, he even penned how he has “looked up to this guy” since he was a little kid, which many deemed to be a passive-aggressive dig at Aaron and the way he has chosen to live his life. The fact that the athlete reportedly didn’t reach out to his family during the 2018 California wildfires also became a point of contention between them, as pinpointed by Jordan, right along with his public views on religion later on.
In late 2018, Aaron did hint at reconciliation by revealing he was having dinner at home with his parents when he found out his NFL team’s head coach, Mike McCarthy, had been fired following a few bad losses. Yet, when he spoke on his religious upbringing and how he has since moved away from it in 2020, it allegedly left his family “dismayed,” as per People. “The family is very dedicated to their Christian faith,” an insider said. “To them, 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.”
According to reports, things changed again in 2022 when Aaron and his brothers started talking again, but this time with the understanding that they were different people with different belief systems. Since then, the athlete has also iterated several times that he wishes his family nothing but the best and that the door is always open for them in his mind. He does assert his journey has been and will continue to be different from theirs, yet he wants them to be a part of his life. Yet, it is imperative to note that both his brothers have since gotten married, and he was noticeably missing from both celebrations – while Luke tied the knot with his long-term girlfriend in April 2019, Jordan and JoJo married in May 2022.
Aaron Rodgers’ Family is Leading a Happy Life in California
While Aaron has never deeply explained his estrangement from his family, he has backed that it stemmed from his religious upbringing, his change since he found football, and his different ethics and belief systems. However, he has since admittedly healed from the past and is now hoping everything goes forth smoothly, whether in terms of his familial relationships, his dating life, or his professional experiences. From what we can tell, even his family appears to be on the same page at the moment, as they seem to be prioritizing their careers while also managing their interpersonal bonds.
While Jordan and his now-wife JoJo are television personalities turned influences based out of California, they also appear to be very family-oriented. The former has since even launched a podcast called ‘The WKND with Jordan Rodgers,’ and he has a place on ESPN as well as SEC Network’s panels to discuss college football as a pundit. Coming to Luke, this happily married, proud father of two has also evolved into a public figure, especially after launching his ‘Blurry Creatures’ podcast alongside Nate Henry. The family-oriented patriot and his realtor wife, Aimee, actually welcomed their son, Jack Jordan Rodgers, in May 2022, followed by their daughter, Evie Jane Rodgers, in June 2024. As for Darla and Edward, from what we can tell, they seem to be leading their best lives at the moment, with the latter still serving as a chiropractor with his own practice in Chico, California.
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