Late-night television hosts in the United States reacted with shock and anger to the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse from Minneapolis, over the weekend of 24-25. shot by a border guard agent in January.
Jimmy Kimmel meltdown over Pretti firing
On their shows on January 26, several major American late-night hosts talked about the shooting and the impact. Jimmy Kimmel on Jimmy Kimmel Live! he was particularly emotional, visibly upset when talking about the situation.
He said he spent the weekend feeling “shocked and sickened” by what was happening in Minneapolis. Kimmel also noted personal concerns, mentioning that family members lived in the city.
“Is this the law and order you voted for, if you voted for this?” Kimmel asked the audience during his monologue. “Every day is a nightmare now. My wife and I have a family in Minneapolis who are afraid to take their kids to school. They are afraid to go to work. And I can only imagine how it feels for people who are not white. How is this going to end? What is the plan here? Is there a plan to keep doing this in every city that didn’t vote for Donald Trump? Does anyone on any side believe that this is a good thing?”
Kimmel also directly challenged viewers about the evidence on the video, urging people not to rely solely on official accounts. “It’s on video. Check it out,” he said during the broadcast. “Do your own research.
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Other prominent hosts were also engaged. Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers highlighted what they described as political “victim blaming” by government officials. Comedian Jon Stewart also used his platform to criticize the federal government’s handling of the story and the administration’s characterization of Pretti.
The shooting occurred during ongoing federal law enforcement operations in Minneapolis. Initial statements from the Department of Homeland Security and senior Trump administration officials claimed that Pretti posed a threat to officers and that the agent acted in self-defense.
Kristi Noem, the secretary of homeland security, said that Border Patrol agents “attempted to disarm” Pretti, “but the armed suspect responded violently” and that the Border Patrol agent “fired defensive shots” while “fearing for his life and the lives of his colleagues around him.” She also said that “this looks like a situation where an individual arrived on the scene to cause maximum harm to individuals and kill law enforcement.”
Video of the incident quickly went viral online, disturbing many viewers because the footage appeared to show that Pretti was not brandishing a gun when he was shot — and in some clips, he is seen holding only his phone before agents tackle him and later fatally shoot him.
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The shooting of Pretti is not an isolated incident. In early January, an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Good, another 37-year-old woman, in Minneapolis, sparking protests and ongoing public debate about the presence of federal law enforcement in the city.
Noem characterized both deaths as related to “domestic terrorism,” a designation that was strongly disputed by video footage and witness statements.
Reactions to Pretti’s death went far beyond late-night television. Federal and state officials face mounting criticism. The White House has publicly distanced President Donald Trump from some of the most provocative statements by senior aides, even as calls grow for a full independent investigation into both the shooting itself and the way authorities have described it.
In addition, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is facing scrutiny within the administration, with reports of internal disagreements over messaging and leadership following the incident.
Public outrage also came from outside politics. Business and tech leaders, including figures from major technology companies, condemned the shooting and held government officials accountable.
