Jimmy Kimmel Breaks Down in Tears Over Shooting of Alex Pretti: ‘Decide for Yourself If That’s Making America Great’

The ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ host delivered an emotional monologue on Jan. 26, just days after federal agents fatally shot the ICU nurse in Minneapolis

Jimmy Kimmel offered his emotional reaction to the killing of Alex Pretti.

On Monday, Jan. 26, just days after the 37-year-old ICU nurse was shot and killed by Border Control in Minneapolis, Kimmel delivered an impassioned monologue about the future of the U.S. and his own outrage over government officials’ response to Pretti’s killing.

“I spent my weekend, like probably a lot of you did, looking at my phone and just feeling shocked and sick about what is happening in Minneapolis,” Kimmel, 58, began of federal agents under the Department of Homeland Security. “… One atrocity after another being committed by this gang of this poorly trained, shamefully led, mask-wearing goons. And that is what they are. They’re goons committing vile, heartless and even criminal acts.”

He continued, “It’s sickening to watch, it’s frustrating to watch. It’s like we’re all being forced to play a game that has no rules. They all just make up the rules as they go along. We see these videos, in which we clearly see one of our fellow Americans executed by ICE and they won’t even admit that it was a mistake.”

Kimmel — a vocal opponent and frequent target of the Donald Trump administration — then pointed to the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, who was shot by ICE agent Jonathan Ross while in her vehicle on Jan. 7. He also referenced Pretti, who he emphasized had “a license to carry [his gun] in an open-carry state.”

“Many of these same people screamed very loudly when it was Kyle Rittenhouse carrying a gun. A gun that Alex Pretti did not draw, did not touch, a gun that was taken from him by one of the agents before he was shot dead by the other ones,” Kimmel said. “They fired 10 times on an ICU nurse [and] they’re telling us, ‘Well it was justified.’ Is that the law and order that you voted for, if you voted for this?”

He added, “Every day is a nightmare now. My wife and I have family in Minneapolis who are afraid to take their kids to school… 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? We keep saying we need to find subjects we can agree on. Can we agree that peaceful protestors — including moms driving SUVs on their way back after dropping their 6 year old off at school, and a nurse who stepped in to protect a woman from harm — don’t deserve to be shot dead in the street by the people we are paying to protect us? Can we agree on that?”

Alex Pretti.US Department of Veteran Affairs

After his audience applauded at the remarks, Kimmel demanded an “investigation” before calling out DHS Secretary Kristi Noem for “telling us that what we saw, we did not see.” Elsewhere, Kimmel said Noem was “gaslighting” Americans over Pretti’s death.

“This one seems pretty open and shut to me,” Kimmel said. “I think we can agree on this one. It’s on video. Look at it. Do your own research. And then once you do, once you form your own opinion without being told what you saw, say something. Where are the reasonable voices on the right? We don’t have to agree on everything, but come on.”

At around 9 a.m. local time on Saturday, Jan. 24, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) law enforcement officers “were conducting a targeted operation in Minneapolis,” according to DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin. Officers fatally shot Pretti, before DHS claimed an individual “approached U.S. Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun” and “violently resisted” as they attempted to disarm him, prompting an agent to “fire defensive shots.”

Widely circulated footage, verified by The New York Times, appears to contradict the account. The video shows Pretti standing among a group of protesters with both hands visible, holding his phone, as an agent sprays pepper spray at the crowd. Several agents then moved in on Pretti, who did not appear to be holding or reaching for a weapon as he was pinned on the sidewalk.

Elsewhere during his monologue, the late-night host shared clips from Fox News, before encouraging his viewers to “watch every angle” of the footage and “decide for yourself if that’s making America great.”

“I’m convinced now that the only people who can stop it are on the right,” he said. “I know it takes a lot of courage to go against your tribe or whatever it is, but that’s what we need. We need some decent people on the right to show some courage and some common sense.”

Kimmel also called for “new leaders,” before choking up as he shared a message for the Pretti and Good families, as well as the people of Minneapolis: “These people who were looking out for their neighbors,” he said. “We want you to know that we are with you and you are not alone.”

Wrapping his monologue, Kimmel offered another message for Noem, 54. “Kristi Noem is telling us to accept that what we’re seeing with our eyes isn’t real. And I understand why. Her nose, face, teeth, eyes and lips aren’t real.”

Getting emotional again, he reminded viewers that Pretti was an ICU nurse, “who treated veterans, which is about as patriotic, I think, as it gets.” He then closed with the viral footage of Pretti sharing a “final salute” for one of his patients.