Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Aaron Rodgers Slammed After Spouting Bonkers Conspiracy That Fauci Created HIV In The '80s

Aaron Rodgers; Dr. Anthony Fauci
Look Into It with Eddie Bravo, Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Haddad Media

The NFL star is under fire after he claimed on a podcast in March that Dr. Anthony Fauci created the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 1980s with the help of the U.S. government, and used it as the blueprint for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Embattled NFL star Aaron Rodgers went after Dr. Anthony Fauci and falsely accused the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of being responsible for engineering the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the 1980s.

Rodgers controversially opted not to get vaccinated against COVID-19, publicly rejected NFL pandemic safety measures, and disseminated disinformation about the virus.


On a March episode of the Look Into It with Eddie Bravo podcast, Rodgers suggested that the federal government and Fauci collaborated on unleashing HIV/AIDS upon the world.

The New York Jets quarterback said:

"Create a pandemic, you know, with a virus that's going wild, right?"

He continued to claim without evidence:

"The blueprint, the game plan, was made in the '80s. Create a pandemic with a virus that’s going wild,"
"Fauci was given over $350 million to research this, to come up with drugs–new or repurposed–to handle the AIDS pandemic."
"And all they came up with AZ—was AZT."

While we don't know where Rodgers got his information from, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that HIV infection in humans came from "a type of chimpanzee in Central Africa."

Studies showed that HIV "may have jumped from chimpanzees to humans as far back as the late 1800s."

You can hear Rodgers' wild claim here.


He continued to admit he was no expert on the subject but said he was determined to "look things up" without citing any sources.

"And if you do even a smidge of research, and I know, I'm not an epidemiologist, I'm not a doctor, I'm not an immunologist, whatever the f'k...I can read, though," he said.

"And I can learn and look things up just like any normal person, you know."
"I can do my own research, which is so vilified, to even question authority."

Rodgers also suggested Fauci's handling of the HIV/AIDS epidemic paved the way for the US government's poor response to COVID-19.

He added:

"But that was the game plan back then. Create an environment where only one thing works. Back then AZT; now, Remdesivir until we get a vaccine."

Remdesivir is a broad-spectrum antiviral medication that prevents the virus that causes Covid-19 from growing in the body.

"By the way, we know Fauci had [a] stake in the Moderna vaccine and we know Pfizer is one of the most criminally corrupt ever, the fine they paid was the biggest in the history of the [Department of Justice] in 2009," he said.

"What are we talking about? We’re going to put our full trust in science that can’t be questioned?"

Fauci's alleged link to Moderna has not been substantiated.

Interestingly, the fake theory was also shared by Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who considered Rodgers to be his VP.

Social media users face-palmed at Rodgers' uninfomed rant.


One user referenced Rodgers' use of the livestock dewormer drug Ivermectin for COVID-19, which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) never authorized for treating or preventing COVID-19.

People were not buying what he was selling.







This is just another in a list of bizarro conspiracy theories we've come to expect from Rodgers.

More from Trending

Cover of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

People's Response To Merriam-Webster's 2024 Word Of The Year Just Proved Their Point

Merriam-Webster dictionary nailed it with their 2024 Word of the Year selection that accurately defined the divisive reaction to the 2024 presidential election results.

The dictionary's account on X (formerly Twitter) declared this year's Word of the Year was, "Polarization," and joked:

Keep ReadingShow less
Nancy Mace
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Nancy Mace Rages After Nobody Will Print Her Transphobic Holiday Wrapping Paper Design

South Carolina Republican Representative Nancy Mace was called out after sharing a photo of her anti-trans wrapping paper design to lament that "no company" would print it due to its "offensive" nature.

Mace, who has courted significant controversy for her efforts to bar Sarah McBride, the first transgender member of Congress, from using the bathroom that corresponds with her gender identity, shared on social media that she attempted to create custom wrapping paper, seemingly intended for raising campaign funds.

Keep ReadingShow less
Eugenio Derbez; Selena Gomez
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images, Amy Sussman/Getty Images

'Coda' Star Apologizes After Selena Gomez's Classy Response To His 'Emilia Pérez' Criticism

Actor Eugenio Derbez walked back his harsh review of Selena Gomez's Spanish in the new musical crime comedy film Emilia Pérez after she responded with class to the tough criticism of not being a fluent speaker.

Gomez stars as Spanish-speaking character Jessi Del Monte, the wife of a cartel kingpin who undergoes gender-affirming surgery to start a new life as the titular Emilia Pérez.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Donald Trump
NBC

Trump Dragged After Claiming He 'Started Using' The Word 'Groceries' During The Election

President-elect Donald Trump was dragged after claiming he "started using" the word "groceries" during the election—before asking, "Who uses the word?"

Trump, in an interview with Meet the Press host Kristen Welker, emphasized the soaring grocery prices affecting millions of Americans as a pivotal factor in his victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in the race for the White House.

Keep ReadingShow less
man pointing up
Alex Sheldon on Unsplash

People Break Down Their 'I F*cking Knew It!' Experiences

Sometimes you feel like you just know something is true, even if you can't prove it.

You may find out you're completely wrong. People usually don't like to talk about or acknowledge when that happens.

Keep ReadingShow less