Yahoo Finance Aaron and Jordan Rodgers Have 'Started Talking' Again After Years-Long Rift: Source
Noel Vasquez/Getty Images; Phillip Faraone/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images Jordan and Aaron Rodgers
Aaron and Jordan Rodgers are taking the first steps in beginning to heal their years-long familial rift.
The famous brothers have "started talking a little bit," a source close to the NFL star tells PEOPLE, though "there's still a division" between them.
"They're just very different people with different outlooks," the insider says. "But they're family and they know that."
The source says this is particularly difficult for Aaron, 38, who has faced widespread criticism since it was revealed in November that he was not vaccinated against COVID-19 despite previously saying he had been "immunized" against the virus.
"It's very hard for Aaron, who feels like his circle is very small, and it's not filled with the people who should be in his corner," the source says.
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A rep for Jordan did not immediately return PEOPLE's request for comment.
Allen Berezovsky/FilmMagic Aaron Rodgers
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The brothers' feud first became public knowledge in the spring of 2016 when Jordan, 33, appeared on JoJo Fletcher's season of The Bachelorette. While on the show, he said that although he was very close with his oldest brother Luke, Aaron was estranged from the rest of the family.
"It's just the way he's chosen to do life," Jordan explained on the ABC series. "I chose to stay close with my family and my parents and my brother [Luke]."
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Jordan, who is still engaged to Fletcher, later revealed why he decided to make his family's rift with Aaron public.
"You know, I didn't even think about it going into the show," he told PEOPLE at the time. "I probably should've. I just wasn't familiar with the show, but my goal was to be honest with [Fletcher] every step of the way."
Todd Williamson/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images
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The drama was back in the news in January 2020, when Aaron said that he had trouble connecting with his religious community as a child on an episode of now-ex-girlfriend Danica Patrick's podcast, Pretty Intense.
A source close to the family later told PEOPLE that the comment did not go over well with his family.
"They were dismayed," the source said. "The family is very dedicated to their Christian faith…To them, his comments are basically a slap in the face to the fundamentals of who they are. It's basically him turning his back on everything they have taught him."
However, another source said at the time that despite the estrangement, Aaron still loves his family and "wants nothing but good things for them all."
"The fact that he doesn't talk to them doesn't mean that he hates them. They just have a very problematic relationship that sometimes can be toxic. For the good of everyone, there's some distance there," the second insider said. "If they needed him, if anything went wrong or if there were an emergency, he'd be the first one to help them."
