Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel and Seth Meyers slam Trump admin narrative on Minnesota ICE shooting

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Late-night television turned sharply somber this week as Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, and Jimmy Kimmel addressed the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old Minnesota mother of three, by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer.

The incident occurred on the morning of Wednesday, January 7, in Minneapolis and has since drawn widespread outrage, particularly over the federal government’s immediate framing of the shooting before an investigation was underway.

Across three major late-night platforms on Thursday, the hosts questioned the administration’s narrative, pointed to eyewitness video footage, and warned viewers about what they described as a growing erosion of accountability.

Stephen Colbert calls Minneapolis ICE shooting ‘senseless yet entirely predictable’

Stephen Colbert opened ‘The Late Show’ on Thursday with a markedly subdued monologue, focusing on Good’s death and its broader implications.

“It’s a senseless yet entirely predictable tragedy,” Colbert said. “And our hearts go out to Renee Good’s loved ones, friends, and the community where it happened.”

Referencing multiple videos recorded by witnesses, Colbert described footage that appears to show Good’s car turning away from an ICE officer before shots were fired into the side of her vehicle.

“By now we’ve all seen the video,” he said. “It sure looks like a federal agent gunned down an American citizen without cause in front of witnesses on a city street.”

Colbert took direct aim at the administration’s immediate response, which labeled the incident an act of "domestic te**orism." “They’re telling you to believe them and not your eyes,” he said, emphasizing that those claims came “before there was any investigation.”

He also noted that Good’s killing marked the ninth ICE shooting since September. “So this feels less like an anomaly and more like a trend,” Colbert said, adding pointedly, “You don’t watch the ninth 'Fast and Furious' movie and think, ‘You know, I’m beginning to get the sense that Vin Diesel really cares about family.’”

When the FBI assumed full control of the investigation on Thursday, blocking Minnesota officials from accessing evidence, Colbert called it a chilling signal. “Only they determine the truth,” he said. “Obey or die. And if you die, you clearly didn’t obey.”

Seth Meyers links ICE shooting to Trump’s broken immigration promises

On ‘Late Night’, Seth Meyers framed the shooting as part of what he described as a long pattern of deception surrounding immigration enforcement.

“Trump lied from the jump about the scope and focus of his mass deportation program during the 2024 campaign,” Meyers said, reminding viewers that the president promised to target violent criminals.

Instead, the comedian argued, the administration has “blanketed the country with federal agents,” disrupting everyday spaces including schools. He highlighted footage from Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis, where ICE agents used pepper spray on students and arrested two US citizens.

“This behavior is lawless and out of control,” Meyers said, noting that more than 170 US citizens have reportedly been caught up in ICE operations. “The Trump administration lied about their deportation plan, and now they’re lying about the ICE shooting in Minneapolis.”

Jimmy Kimmel urges viewers to trust what they see

Jimmy Kimmel took a more reflective tone on his show, questioning how the public is supposed to respond when authorities deny widely circulated evidence.

“What do you do when something terrible happens and a big group of people, including those who are running our country, tells you it didn’t?” Kimmel asked.

He encouraged viewers to watch the video themselves. “It’s important for us to know what happened, because if we don’t, it’s definitely going to happen again.”

Kimmel rejected claims that Good posed a threat, describing her as “an unarmed mama” with no criminal record. He pushed back on statements from DHS Secretary Kristi Noem suggesting the ICE officer was “following his training.”

“How stupid do you think we are?” Kimmel said. “That’s an insult to every law enforcement officer everywhere.”

While acknowledging the pressures faced by police, the comedian stressed that accountability mattered. “Apologize, investigate, let justice be served,” he said. “Don’t try to tell us that went by the book.”