'This aggression won't stand': Jeff Bridges channels The Dude to tell off ICE on Jimmy Kimmel show

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Actor Jeff Bridges brought back his iconic character The Dude from 'The Big Lebowski' during an appearance on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' Tuesday, October 7 night, and used the moment to launch a jab at US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), drawing backlash from Donald Trump officials.

The 75-year-old Oscar winner was on the show to promote his upcoming film 'Tron: Ares' when host Jimmy Kimmel asked him to “summon the Dude” and offer “words of wisdom for the current times.”

Jeff Bridges channels The Dude to take a shot at ICE

Slipping into character with a cardigan and a White Russian in hand, Bridges addressed the audience in his trademark laid-back tone.

“Hey, world. The Dude here,” he began. “Can we just all calm the f**k down? I mean, come on, I’m talking about all the wars, the fighting, the cancelling, I mean, let’s just chill out man, come on. Tone it down. We’re at like, what, a nine? We ought to be at zero. Or zero and a half max, right?”

Then, turning his attention to ICE, Bridges quipped, “ICE! Let’s get ICE off our streets and into our beverages. This aggression will not stand, right? So let’s just abide together. Yes, we can do this. Now that’s just, like, my opinion, but it’s a good one, don’t you think?”

Kimmel replied with a laugh, “That’s a pretty great opinion. Thank you, Dude.”

DHS and White House officials blast Jeff Bridges’ remarks

Bridges’ comments didn’t sit well with federal officials. Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital she “had to Google” who Bridges was and described his statements as “disgusting.”

“The media, sanctuary politicians, and Hollywood elites must stop demonizing our brave law enforcement who are having terrorists shoot at them, cars being used as weapons against them, online doxing of their families, and even bounties placed on their heads by criminal gangs. Knock it off before you get someone killed,” McLaughlin said.

White House assistant press secretary Liz Huston also criticized the segment, telling Fox News Digital, “Jeff Bridges hasn’t been relevant since the 20th century. It makes complete sense that low-ratings loser Jimmy Kimmel would have Jeff Bridges on his show to cope with their Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

Jimmy Kimmel and other Hollywood stars continue criticism of ICE operations

Bridges joins a growing list of Hollywood figures who have spoken out against ICE’s recent raids in Los Angeles. Kimmel himself has previously condemned the agency’s actions, delivering a monologue in June in which he called the raids “disgusting and unnecessary.”

“I have to say, I cannot believe what’s going on. I knew it was gonna be bad. I did not know it was gonna be this bad… People who’ve lived here their whole lives… are being abducted, which is the correct word to use, by agents in masks, hiding their identities; grabbing people off the street and at work and sending people to detention centers,” Kimmel said on his show.

He added that protesting such operations was not only a right but “a responsibility,” describing the actions as “an unnecessary abuse of power instigated by our mentally ill President, who is dead set on exacerbating this.”

Bridges’ playful yet pointed critique, delivered through one of his most beloved characters, has reignited debate over the role of celebrities in political discourse and the fine line between satire and activism on late-night television.