'The Office' Star Brian Baumgartner 'Proud' to Be Aaron Rodgers' Friend

Brian Baumgartner and Aaron Rodgers. Michael Buckner/Getty Images for Entertainment Weekly

The Office star Brian Baumgartner debunked immoderate of the unsavory narratives surrounding his friend, Aaron Rodgers. 

The actor, 52, met the NFL backmost successful the summertime of 2008 erstwhile the 2 played astatine the American Century Championship play tournament successful Lake Tahoe. Since then, Baumgartner and Rodgers, 41, person go adjacent buddies, with Rodgers adjacent attending Baumgartner’s 2014 wedding to his wife, Celeste Ackelson.

Baumgartner volition instrumentality to the links aboriginal this period to vie against the champion golfers connected the LPGA Tour astatine the Hilton Grand Vacations 2025 Tournament of Champions successful Orlando.

As for Rodgers — who has stoked controversy for his stance connected vaccines, his touting of conspiracy theories and much — Baumgartner said there’s a broadside to his person that not everybody ever gets to see.

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“He has a tremendous heart,” Baumgartner exclusively told Us Weekly. “He truly does. The mode he’s misunderstood, I deliberation radical thin to deliberation of him arsenic a disgruntled oregon unhappy person. He’s not that.”

Baumgartner continued, “He has a truly large bosom and is precise caring. I americium arrogant to accidental that he’s a friend.”

With Rodgers’ shot aboriginal up successful the aerial — the seasoned backmost is coming disconnected a wildly disappointing season with the Jets, which saw New York decorativeness the play 5-12 — Baumgartner expressed optimism astir Rodgers’ last show of the season, which saw Rodgers propulsion 4 touchdowns successful a January 5 triumph implicit the Miami Dolphins. 

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“I don’t cognize what he’s gonna do,” Baumgartner said. “I volition archer you, it was truly amusive to spot that past crippled against the Dolphins. I don’t cognize if ‘back’ is the close word, but it was amusive to spot him playing astatine specified a precocious level — to beryllium enjoying it, to beryllium making each the throws, to beryllium scrambling.”

He added, “I’m not going to marque excuses. He doesn’t request maine to bash that for him. But it was precise wide that helium was injured aboriginal successful the year. I bash privation we had seen a healthier Aaron Rodgers during the archetypal portion of the play earlier things got away.”

Baumgartner hinted that status is firmly connected the array for Rodgers, but he’s hopeful that his person volition springiness things 1 much changeable earlier calling it a career. 

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“If he’s not playing anymore, the league is not arsenic overmuch fun,” helium argued. “I surely would emotion to spot him play more. I don’t cognize if it’ll hap oregon wherever it could happen.”

While Rodgers ponders his gridiron future, Baumgartner has the Hilton Grand Vacations 2025 Tournament of Champions successful Orlando to look guardant to, wherever the histrion volition implicit with chap celebrities and actors similar Don Cheadle, Blake Griffin, Anthony Anderson and Alfonso Ribeiro alongside the champion golfers the LPGA Tour has to offer, including Lydia Ko, Nelly Korda and Celine Boutier.

“It’s truthful amusive to play with these women erstwhile they’re dialed in,” Baumgartner gushed. “That’s a thrill for me. Ultimately, I cognize wherefore I’m there. I’m determination to person a bully clip and to assistance the radical determination watching person a bully time. And I anticipation I deed a fewer bully shots that the radical watching are amazed about.”

The Hilton Grand Vacations 2025 Tournament of Champions takes spot astatine Orlando’s Lake Nona Golf & Country Club from January 30 to February 2.