Aaron Rodgers’ family reunion was quietly rolling months ago, TMZ says
Video from April shows Aaron Rodgers with parents Darla and Ed before he later shared family photos on Instagram, according to TMZ.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
2 min read
Aaron Rodgers’ public family reunion may have hit Instagram this week, but the thaw was already visible months earlier, according to TMZ.
TMZ reported that footage from April shows the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback spending time with his mother, Darla, and father, Ed, at the inaugural Pleasant Valley High School Athletics Hall of Fame dinner in Chico, California. Rodgers was inducted as part of the school’s first class of honorees.
In the video described by TMZ, Rodgers is seen talking and laughing with his parents during the event. The outlet also reported that he thanked them while giving a speech at the ceremony.
The clip adds an earlier marker to a family story that many fans only saw resurface this week, when Rodgers posted Instagram photos that included his parents and his brother Luke. He captioned that post, “Another bonding week #fam.”
A private repair went public
Rodgers’ family rift has been part of his public story for years. TMZ reported that the estrangement first became widely known in 2016, after his brother Jordan Rodgers appeared on “The Bachelorette.”
Aaron later discussed the strained family relationship in the Netflix docuseries “Aaron Rodgers: Enigma,” and also spoke about years of tension during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” according to TMZ.
The new Instagram post led some observers to read the family gathering as a fresh development. TMZ’s April footage places Rodgers with his parents several months before that social media reveal.
The Chico event also carried a hometown note. Pleasant Valley High School launched its Athletics Hall of Fame with Rodgers among the first inductees, and his parents were present as he was honored, according to TMZ.
One brother still missing from the picture
TMZ reported that Jordan Rodgers did not appear in Aaron’s recent Instagram post and was not seen at the April Hall of Fame event. The outlet said the status of Aaron and Jordan’s relationship remains unclear.
Luke Rodgers, however, was included in the Instagram photos Aaron shared this week, along with Darla and Ed.
Rodgers has not announced a detailed account of when the reconciliation with his parents began. The public record now includes the April Hall of Fame appearance, the family photos posted this week, and his earlier comments about the long-running tension in his documentary and on McAfee’s show.
For a quarterback whose off-field relationships have drawn years of attention, the latest images show at least one part of the family story looking warmer well before the public noticed.
This story draws on original reporting from TMZ.