An unlikely friendship between Jodie Foster and the reigning NFL MVP is blossoming and the world is watching it happen in real time.
What’s going on
On Sunday night, Foster won a Golden Globe award for her supporting performance in the new BBC legal drama “The Mauritanian.” With a dog on her lap, the actress gave her acceptance speech through a video call and, to the surprise of many, one of the people she thanked was Aaron Rodgers, the newly engaged star quarterback for the Green Bay Packers.
🚨 JODIE FOSTER JUST THANKED AARON RODGERS 🚨
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) March 1, 2021
To better understand this random shout-out, it’s worth noting another acceptance speech that took place just a few weeks earlier.
How it started
At the beginning of February, the NFL hosted its annual NFL Honors ceremony, and Rodgers took home the 2020 league MVP award. In the middle of his pre-recorded acceptance speech, the quarterback thanked several of his “off the field” teammates, mentioning Foster by name.
The Rogers-Foster connection
ESPN reports that there seem to be two major connecting points between Rodgers and Foster: the quarterback’s fiancee, Shailene Woodley, costars with Foster in “The Mauritanian,” and Foster is a diehard Packers fan.
In an interview with Yahoo!, the actress disclosed that she did not play matchmaker in the Woodley-Rodgers relationship.
“I did not set up Shailene and Aaron, I have never met Aaron Rodgers,” she said, “but it is possible that I do like to talk about how much I love the Green Bay Packers. And sometimes I can talk a little too much about that. So of course Shailene was very aware of my enthusiasm for the team.”
More shout-outs ahead
Are Rodgers and Foster going to keep thanking one another in acceptance speeches for the rest of time? It sure sounds like it.
According to USA Today, Rodgers is already planning his next “shout-out revenge” on Foster. The Foster said (via USA Today), “I got a very cute video from Aaron Rodgers where he said he’s going to get me back. I’m looking forward to this. We’ll see who wins.”
Foster appears to have the upper hand in this shout-out match as the movie awards season is just kicking off and Rodgers’ next shot at a football related acceptance speech won’t come until 2022. Though, Rodgers may have the chance to sneak in a shout-out while he’s guest hosting “Jeopardy!” in April.