Jimmy Kimmel delivered an emotional and furious response to the killing of Alex Pretti, speaking out just days after the 37-year-old ICU nurse was shot and killed by Border Control officers in Minneapolis.
On Monday, Jan. 26, the late-night host used his monologue to describe his outrage over what happened and what he sees as a dangerous direction for the country.
“I spent my weekend, like probably a lot of you did, looking at my phone and just feeling shocked and sick about what is happening in Minneapolis,” Kimmel, 58, said, referring to federal agents operating under the Department of Homeland Security. He accused the officials involved of committing “one atrocity after another,” calling them “poorly trained,” “shamefully led,” and “mask-wearing goons.”
Kimmel said watching the events unfold felt like “a game that has no rules,” and criticized authorities for refusing to acknowledge wrongdoing even when footage is available. “We see these videos, in which we clearly see one of our fellow Americans executed by ICE and they won’t even admit that it was a mistake,” he said.
Kimmel—who has long been a vocal critic of the Donald Trump administration—also referenced the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, who was shot by ICE agent Jonathan Ross while in her vehicle on Jan. 7. He then returned to Pretti, emphasizing that he had “a license to carry [his gun] in an open-carry state.”
He contrasted reactions to other high-profile cases involving firearms, arguing that Pretti never escalated the situation. Kimmel said Pretti “did not draw” or “touch” the gun, and alleged it was taken from him before he was shot. He questioned the justification being offered publicly: “They fired 10 times on an ICU nurse [and] they’re telling us, ‘Well it was justified.’ Is that the law and order that you voted for, if you voted for this?”
Kimmel described the climate in Minneapolis as frightening, sharing that his family there feels unsafe doing everyday activities. He asked whether the crackdown was meant to spread to other cities and challenged viewers across political lines to agree on at least one point: that peaceful protesters, including “moms driving SUVs” and “a nurse who stepped in to protect a woman from harm,” should not be killed by law enforcement.
After the audience applauded, Kimmel demanded an “investigation” and criticized DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, accusing her of denying what the public can plainly see. He said she was “gaslighting” Americans about Pretti’s death.
“This one seems pretty open and shut to me,” Kimmel said, urging people to look at the footage themselves, form their own conclusions, and speak up. He called on “reasonable voices on the right” to condemn what happened, arguing that meaningful accountability may have to come from within the political coalition currently in power.
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Elsewhere in the monologue, Kimmel showed clips from Fox News, encouraging viewers to “watch every angle” and “decide for yourself if that’s making America great.” He said he believes “the only people who can stop it are on the right,” adding that it takes courage to break from partisan loyalty, but that’s what the moment requires.
Kimmel then called for “new leaders,” and became emotional while addressing the families of Pretti and Good, as well as the broader Minneapolis community. Referring to those who stepped in to help others, he said, “We want you to know that we are with you and you are not alone.”
He closed with another jab at Noem, saying she was asking Americans to accept that what they’re seeing “isn’t real,” then turned back to Pretti’s life and work. Kimmel noted that Pretti was an ICU nurse who treated veterans, calling that “about as patriotic… as it gets,” before ending with widely shared footage of Pretti giving a “final salute” to one of his patients.
