When I purchased my 97 Jeep Cherokee Sport about six months ago, I noticed the rear wiper didn't work. I did some digging and I found there was no fuse so I replaced it and it worked. But soon after the fuse blew. I replaced the fuse and it blew again so I gave up for a bit.

I figured it was probably a wiring thing.

Today, I decided I would try to keep troubleshooting. I put in a new fuse and the rear wiper was working but also...it won't turn off—no matter what I do with the switch haha

Still a wiring thing I assume?

Does the behavior change if the hatch is open? That would point to wiring damage where it crosses over int the hatch.

the testing today was with the hatch open. I guess the next test would be with hatch closed

We had a similar issue. In our case the wiper would stay on as long as the headlights were on. We chased it to a bad earth at the notorious under dash earth. However, in your case, with a blowing fuse, I would suspect a live issue, which, as said above, could be linked to a broken wire in the tailgate.