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Rodgers shared a set of images on Monday showing him happy and smiling with his mother, father, and brother Luke.
Key Points
- NFL pro Aaron Rodgers has reconciled with his family after a lengthy period of estrangement.
- The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback shared photos of him hanging out with his mother, father, and brother Luke on Monday, which were also liked by his other brother, Bachelorette winner Jordan Rodgers.
- Rodgers biographer Ian O’Connor says that Rodgers “had been working toward reconciliation for a while,” and offered a breakdown of what led up to the reunion.
NFL star Aaron Rodgers and his family have finally reconciled after a years-long period of estrangement, and we’re finally beginning to understand just how and why.
On Monday, Rodgers shared a set of photos that shocked and delighted his 2.2 million Instagram followers. The five-photo set depicted Rodgers hugging it out with his father, Ed, and mother, Darla. He was also seen with his brother Luke, building toys for and playing with the eldest Rodgers son’s own kids, Evie and Jack.
All Aaron wrote in the caption was, “Another bonding week #fam.” Even Aaron’s other brother, Bachelorette alum Jordan, with whom he had the most public conflict, liked the post. So what happened?
The athlete’s biographer, Ian O’Connor, has some insight.
“On Aaron Rodgers & his family, they had been working towards reconciliation for a while,” O’Connor wrote in a post shared to X on Tuesday. “Rodgers invited parents Ed & Darla to his Pleasant Valley High School Hall of Fame induction in April & introduced them to the crowd to applause, thanked them for their support.”
O’Connor wrote the 2024 biography Out of the Darkness: The Mystery of Aaron Rodgers, which went deep on the inner workings of the modern football maverick whose public life has been riddled with controversy.
In that book, O’Connor detailed how Aaron’s embrace of his father at a 2023 golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, Calif., “opened the door” to a broader reconciliation, which he called “definitely possible” at the time. It was the first time in nine years father and son had spoken, O’Connor noted on Tuesday.
“The timing was right last night for the Steelers quarterback to make it public with his photos on Instagram,” O’Connor continued. “Rodgers’ juco coach, Craig Rigsbee, was among the longtime friends who encouraged him to reunite with his family. Aaron praised Rigsbee at the PV induction ceremony for the impact he’s had on his life."
Rigsbee was Aaron’s junior college coach while he attended Butte College in Northern California. He retired in 2020, and Aaron made waves again in May for announcing that his coming season with the Pittsburgh Steelers will be his last in the NFL.
Entertainment Weekly has reached out to a representative for Aaron Rodgers for comment.
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Jordan first spoke publicly of Aaron’s rift with the extended Rodgers family on The Bachelorette in 2016. “It pains both of us, like, not to have that relationship [with Aaron] — we miss our brother,” he told JoJo Fletcher, to whom he’s still married, during a controversial hometown dinner episode that Aaron did not attend.
Aaron hit back at that claim on the 2024 Netflix series Aaron Rodgers: Enigma, saying was never even invited. He also referred to The Bachelorette as “a stupid dating show.”
Ed told the New York Times in 2017 that Aaron hadn’t spoken to the family since 2014, cryptically noting, “Fame can change things.” Aaron, Ed, and Darla did reunite in 2019 on Aaron's birthday, but full reconciliation would have to wait until 2026.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
