“Not that she was pushing me, because she never was,” he explained. “But just the way that she loves and supports me.”

Aaron Rodgers gives ‘a lot of credit’ to wife Brittani for helping him reunite with family after years-long rift

“Not that she was pushing me, because she never was,” he explained. “But just the way that she loves and supports me.”

By Shania Russell

Shania Russell

Shania Russell is a news writer at *, *with five years of experience. Her work has previously appeared in SlashFilm and Paste Magazine.

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August 2, 2026 6:49 p.m. ET

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Aaron Rodgers and his parents, Darla and Ed. Credit:

Getty; Luke Rodgers/Instagram

- Aaron Rodgers is crediting his wife with helping him repair a years-long family rift.

- The NFL star recently reunited with his parents and brother after a period of estrangement.

- “A big part of it was getting married and having those conversations with my wife,” Rodgers said of the reunion.

Aaron Rodgers says it’s thanks to his wife that he was able to patch things up with his family.

The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback recently reunited with his family after a years-long estrangement. Now, he admits that the big step forward was only possible thanks to the support and encouragement of his wife, Brittani.

“A big part of it was getting married and having those conversations with my wife that allowed me to kind of open up to the possibility of coming together,” Rodgers told Kyle Brandt when asked about the reunion during his August 1 appearance on the NFL Network‘s *Good Morning Football*. “It’s been a couple years process, the conversation with them.”

He added, “I’ve been very closed off about that part of my life, and I want to keep it that way. But there’s been a narrative that’s gone on for too long that I kind of wanted to shut down, and it’s been really beautiful to reconnect with them, all of them.”

He added that he recently spent a long weekend with his parents and his brother’s family, noting that it was “really special.”

Aaron Rodgers and his mother Darla.

Aaron Rodgers/Instagram

While the tension between Rodgers and his family has been a topic of conversation for a few years now, the NFL star has kept his relationship with his wife far from the public eye. Not much is known about Brittani, whom Rodgers previously revealed doesn’t have social media and is a “private person.” In June 2025, fans were shocked when he announced that they had wed in a private ceremony.

But while their love life is kept on the down-low, Rodgers has made it clear that there’s no questioning the massive impact that she’s had on his life.

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All about Aaron Rodgers’ family: His parents, brothers, and their years-long estrangement

“I’m happy to be reunited, and that part of my life is a really beautiful addition. and I’ve got to give my wife a lot of credit,” the NFL star told Brandt. “Not that she was pushing me, because she never was, but just the way that she loves and supports me.”

The Rodgers family feud first became public in 2016, when Aaron’s younger brother, Jordan Rodgers, discussed their estrangement while competing for JoJo Fletcher’s heart on *The Bachelorette*. He claimed that the football player had distanced himself from them.

Aaron Rodgers in 2025.

Joe Sargent/Getty

The following year, their father Ed told the *New York Times* in 2017 that Aaron hadn’t spoken to the family since 2014, cryptically stating, “Fame can change things.”

Then, in his 2024 Netflix docuseries *Aaron Rodgers: Enigma*, the quarterback claimed, “When I became real famous, family members said, ‘Your life is too big. We need you to be smaller. Be smaller, like, don’t talk about your life.’ It always hurt me because I just feel like, you don’t see me. And so as I found my voice to kind of question things, I also found doing things that, compared to what I grew up in, would be considered an alternative lifestyle.”

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But last month, in photos shared to Instagram July 20, Rodgers revealed that he is starting a new chapter with his family by posing for photos with his parents and his brother, Luke. “Another bonding week. #fam,” he captioned the post.

Rodgers, who has announced that he will retire after one final season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, has said that he plans to step out of the spotlight once his NFL career ends. He also plans to continue keeping this marriage private, he noted during a June 2025 visit to *The Pat McAfee Show*.

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