State Farm says it won't drop pitchman Aaron Rodgers after vaccine comments
![Aaron Rodgers.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HV2wZhexZEcsvQr9BkDctW-415-80.jpg)
State Farm is standing by its pitchman, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, even as the insurance company pulled back airing his commercials.
During the summer, when asked if he had been vaccinated against COVID-19, Rodgers responded that he was "immunized." Last week, Rodgers tested positive for COVID-19, and it came out that he was not vaccinated. He then appeared on The Pat McAfee Show, claiming to be a victim of "the woke mob" and sharing several pieces of misinformation about the virus and vaccine. Rodgers also quoted Martin Luther King Jr. to support his position and revealed that he's been getting medical advice from podcaster Joe Rogan.
Following his remarks, Wisconsin-based health company Prevea Health ended its partnership with Rodgers on Saturday, saying it supports protecting people through vaccinations. In a statement to USA Today on Monday, State Farm said Rodgers has been "a great ambassador for our company for much of the past decade," and while they "don't support some of the statements that he has made ... we respect his right to have his own personal point of view." The insurance giant said it does "encourage vaccinations," but respects "everyone's right to make a choice based on their personal circumstances."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Still, State Farm did cut back on the number of commercials featuring Rodgers that aired over the weekend — Apex Marketing Group reported that just 1.5 percent of the company's ads on Sunday showed Rodgers, down from 25 percent during the two previous Sundays.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Why is China stockpiling resources?
The Explainer The superpower has been amassing huge reserves of commodities at great cost despite its economic downturn
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Paraguay's dangerous dalliance with cryptocurrency
Under The Radar Overheating Paraguayans are pushing back over power outages caused by illegal miners
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The Week contest: Tattoo prediction
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
'Brain drain' fear as record numbers leave New Zealand
Under The Radar Neighbouring Australia is luring young workers with prospect of better jobs
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Ghost kitchens are pulling a disappearing act
under the radar The delivery-only trend is failing to live up to the hype built up during the pandemic
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Empty-nest boomers aren't selling their big homes
Speed Read Most Americans 60 and older do not intend to move, according to a recent survey
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Brazil accuses Musk of 'disinformation campaign'
Speed Read A Brazilian Supreme Court judge has opened an inquiry into Elon Musk and X
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Disney board fends off Peltz infiltration bid
Speed Read Disney CEO Bob Iger has defeated activist investor Nelson Peltz in a contentious proxy battle
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Disney and DeSantis reach detente
Speed Read The Florida governor and Disney settle a yearslong litigation over control of the tourism district
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Visa and Mastercard agree to lower swipe fees
Speed Read The companies will cap the fees they charge businesses when customers use their credit cards
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Reddit IPO values social media site at $6.4 billion
Speed Read The company makes its public debut on the New York Stock Exchange
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published