Bill Maher laughs off celebs wearing protest pins for Renee Good: 'Just here for show business'

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA: At the 83rd Annual Golden Globe Awards held on Sunday, January 11, comedian Bill Maher drew attention for his reaction to several Hollywood stars wearing 'Be Good' pins on the red carpet. 

The pins were worn in honor of Renee Nicole Good, woman recently fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)  in Minneapolis.

Bill Maher’s reaction to the 'Be Good' pins

At the event, Maher laughed and downplayed the significance of celebrities wearing the pins. When asked by a reporter on the red carpet about the stars using the awards show as a platform for activism, Maher responded with humor, suggesting, “We’re just here for show business today.”

He further commented on the tragic death, acknowledging it as “a terrible thing that happened and it shouldn’t have happened,” but added a controversial remark implying that the incident “wouldn’t have had to happen” if those involved hadn’t “acted like such thugs.”

Addressing whether he needed to wear a pin himself, Maher stated plainly, “But I don’t need to wear a pin about it.” This position clearly contrasted with the views of fellow celebrities who chose to use the event to raise awareness.

Later during the ceremony, entertainer Wanda Sykes, one of the stars wearing the pinned accessory, publicly responded to Maher during her presentation of the award for Best Performance in Stand‑Up Comedy on Television.

She jokingly quipped at him, “You give us so much. But I would love a little less. Just try less” with Maher appearing unimpressed when the camera cut to his reaction later in the broadcast.

Mark Ruffalo and Wanda Sykes honor Renee Nicole Good

Multiple high‑profile stars such as Mark Ruffalo and Sykes wore the pins at the event in honor of Good, who was shot just days before the event.

Ruffalo and others aimed to use the event’s visibility to draw attention to Good’s death and broader concerns over immigration enforcement, renewing public debate around ICE policies and President Donald Trump’s immigration stance.

Ruffalo said, "This is for Renee Nicole Good, who was m*rdered," and then proceeded to call out Trump, "We're in the middle of a war with Venezuela that we illegally invaded. He's telling the world that international law doesn't matter to him. 

Ruffalo concluded, "So this is for her and for the people in the United States who are terrorized and scared today. I know I'm one of them. I love this country. And what I'm seeing here happening is not America."

Sykes also said in an interview before the ceremony with Variety, "We need to speak up and shut this rogue government down, It's awful what they are doing to people."

Federal authorities have defended the ICE agent’s actions, describing them as self‑defense and categorizing the incident as an act of "domestic t*rrorism", citing that Good drove her SUV toward the agent after provocative interactions, including encouragement from her wife.