While Aaron Rodgers has never actually appeared on The Bachelorette, he's shaping up to be the most talked-about man this season.
The Green Bay Packers quarterback's younger brother Jordan Rodgers is one of JoJo Fletcher's final four men and was one of the most buzzed-about contestants heading into season 12. And the buzz never died down, especially after Jordan revealed that Aaron, who is dating Olivia Munn, has been estranged from the rest of the family for almost two years. In last night's episode, Jordan and JoJo returned to his hometown of Chico, Calif., where his older brother Luke talked to the Bachelorette about their rift.
"It pains both of us not to have that relationship," Luke said. "We miss our brother. We just are trusting that God brings things full circle. And just wish that everything would just get back to us being a family."
Aaron has yet to publicly comment about his relationship with his family or The Bachelorette, JoJo broke her silence on the Rodgers' brothers' estrangement, and said how "proud" she is of how Jordan has handled the sensitive situation.
"I think people just assumed that it was going to have a little more attention on it, just because [Jordan] was leaked before the season, there's the situation with people knowing who his brother is," JoJo told E! News at the Men Tell All special taping over the weekend. "There was a moment where he opened up to me, I didn't know anything about that. But I think that was a breakthrough for us, and I was really proud of how he handled it."
While Jordan opened up about his estrangement from his brother to JoJo in last night's episode, another contestant's past also caught up with him on his hometown visit, as Robby Hayes learned his ex-girlfriend's roommate was saying he broke up with her to go on the show. Hope Higginbotham, Robby's ex-girlfriend, even met up with (and kissed) fellow contestant Chad Johnson, who wrote in the caption, "A great girl like her deserves so much better than someone who lies, cheats, and ends a four year long relationship in order to pursue fame on a tv show.
The Bachelor franchise has always had its fair share of media attention, but more than any other season, there's been a lot of tabloid coverage on JoJo and her men, including Jordan and Robby, with JoJo admitting to us that it's "really hard" to tune out all of the rumors.
"I will say that I used to be the type of person that would pick up a magazine, read it and just think it was true," she says. "And now it's me on the cover and things that people claiming I'm saying or feeling, or about the guys on the show, I just learned to not believe everything that you read. But it is tough, because even if you're not looking for it, it's hard to avoid."
To hear more from JoJo, including an update on her living situation (Is she really living with former contestant Becca Tilley?!) watch our interview with her above.
The Bachelorette airs Mondays at 8 p.m. with the Men Tell All special airing Tuesday, July 26, at 8 p.m. on ABC.