Aaron Rodgers’ biographer is shedding light on the pro quarterback’s family dynamic, days after he shared photos via Instagram with his parents and brother, Luke.
“They had been working towards reconciliation for a while,” The Athletic columnist and author Ian O’Connor wrote via X on Tuesday, July 21. “Rodgers invited parents Ed & Darla to his Pleasant Valley High School Hall of Fame induction in April & introduced them to the crowd…In my book, Rodgers spoke of embracing his father at the Lake Tahoe celebrity golf tournament in 2023 and expressing their love for each other and called it ‘a special moment,’ first time they had contact in nearly 9 years. That opened the door.”
O’Connor, 61, continued, “At the time Rodgers called a reconciliation ‘definitely possible’ and a matter of timing. The timing was right last night for the Steelers quarterback to make it public with his photos on Instagram.”
A veteran sportswriter, O’Connor has written six books, including the 2024 biography, “Out of the Darkness: The Mystery of Aaron Rodgers.”
Jordan vs. Aaron Rodgers: Everything We Know About Their Family Feud
Though Aaron, 42, appears to have reconciled with his parents and with Luke, his younger brother, Jordan, was noticeably absent from his post. Jordan, 37, opened up about the rift in the family when he was on future wife JoJo Fletcher’s season of The Bachelorette in 2016.
“It pains both of us, like, not to have that relationship [with Aaron] — we miss our brother,” he told Fletcher, 35, at the time.
Aaron also was not at the couple’s wedding, which took place at the Sunstone Winery in Santa Ynez, California, in May 2022.
“It’s a sad situation for the family and especially for Jordan who really does love his brother,” a source exclusively told Us at the time. “Aaron missed out on his big day and that’s something Jordan’s never going to forget. Jordan invited his entire family, including Aaron, even knowing he most likely wouldn’t attend since they’ve been distant for a long time now.”
Inside the Alleged Cause of Aaron Rodgers’ Estrangement From Brother Luke
While neither brother has revealed the specifics behind their feud, Aaron explained on his 2024 Netflix series Enigma that the origins date back to childhood.
“It wasn’t like I was super-duper close with everybody in the family. I was close with my little brother,” he said. “But in actuality, it goes back to stuff from high school that kind of made me feel distant. Stuff in college, stuff post-college.”
Over the years, Aaron’s love life also factored into his distance from the family. During his three-year relationship with actress Olivia Munn, a source told Us that his family wasn’t supportive.
“Aaron is the one that has pulled away from the family, not the reverse,” the source said, three months before their split in 2017. “When he got together with Olivia Munn, his family told him they didn’t trust her and thought she wasn’t with him for the right reasons. That made him furious and he ended up choosing Olivia over his family.”
It is not clear whether the family approves of or attended Aaron’s wedding to his current wife, Brittani, who he married in the spring of 2025.
