Jimmy Kimmel burst into tears while talking about Minneapolis shootings, deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti

Late-night television hosts in the United States have reacted with shock and anger to the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse from Minneapolis who was shot and killed by a Border Patrol agent on the weekend of 24–25 January.

He said he had spent the weekend feeling "shocked and sick" by what was happening in Minneapolis. Kimmel also noted personal concerns, mentioning that he had family members living in the city.

“Is that the law and order that 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 family in Minneapolis that are afraid to take their kids to school. They’re afraid to go to work. And I can only imagine how people who aren’t white feel about this. How does this end? What’s the plan here? Is the plan to just keep doing this in every city that didn’t vote for Donald Trump? Does anyone on any side believe this is good leadership?”

Kimmel also challenged viewers directly about the video evidence, urging people not to rely solely on official accounts. “It’s on video. Look at it,” he said during the broadcast. “Do your own research.”

Other prominent hosts also weighed in. Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers highlighted what they described as political “victim-blaming” from government officials. Comedian Jon Stewart also used his platform to criticise the federal government’s handling of the story and the administration’s characterisation of Pretti.

The shooting occurred during ongoing federal enforcement operations in Minneapolis. Initial statements from the Department of Homeland Security and senior Trump administration officials claimed Pretti presented a threat to officers and that the agent acted in self-defence.

Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security, said that Border Patrol officers had "attempted to disarm" Pretti, "but the armed suspect reacted violently," and that a Border Patrol agent "fired defensive shots" while "fearing for his life and the lives of his fellow officers around him." She also said that "this looks like a situation where an individual arrived at the scene to inflict maximum damage on individuals and to kill law enforcement."

Video of the incident quickly spread online, and many viewers were troubled because the footage appeared to show Pretti was not brandishing a weapon at the moment he was shot — and in some clips, he can be seen holding only a phone before agents tackle him and later fatally shoot him.

The shooting of Pretti is not an isolated incident. Earlier in January, an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Good, another 37-year-old woman, in Minneapolis, prompting protests and sustained public debate about federal law enforcement presence in the city.

Noem characterised both deaths as linked to “domestic terrorism,” a label that has been strongly disputed by video evidence and witness testimony.

Reactions to Pretti’s death have gone far beyond late-night television. Federal and state officials are facing mounting criticism. The White House has publicly distanced President Donald Trump from some of the most provocative statements made by senior aides, even as calls grow for a full independent investigation of both the shooting itself and the way authorities have described it.

In addition, the Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is facing scrutiny within the administration, and there are reports of internal disagreement over messaging and leadership following the incident.

Public outcry has also come from outside politics. Business and tech leaders, including figures from major technology companies, condemned the shooting and called for accountability from government leaders.