Emotional Jimmy Kimmel Fights Back Tears Over Alex Pretti Killing
What To Know
- Jimmy Kimmel delivered an emotional monologue condemning the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, by federal agents during protests in Minneapolis.
- Kimmel criticized the actions and justifications of law enforcement, highlighting inconsistencies in official accounts and the lack of evidence that Pretti was armed or threatening agents.
- He expressed solidarity with the families of Pretti and Renée Good, honoring Pretti’s service to veterans and calling for accountability and compassion in the face of ongoing violence.
Jimmy Kimmel got choked up on Monday night (January 26) while discussing the death of Alex Pretti, who was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on Saturday (January 24).
“I spent the weekend, like probably a lot of you did – looking at my phone – and just feeling shocked – and sick – about what is happening in Minneapolis,” the late-night host said during his opening monologue on Monday’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!
He went on to discus the “atrocities” being “committed by this gang of poorly-trained, shamefully-led, mask-wearing goons. And that is what they are – they’re goons committing vile, heartless, and even criminal acts.”
“And it’s sickening to watch, and it’s frustrating to watch,” Kimmel continued. “It’s like we’re all being forced to play a game that has no rules. They just make up the rules as they go along.”
He added, “I mean they say the Honda SUV Renée Good was driving was weaponized. They say the gun Alex Pretti had a license to carry in an open carry state — many of these same people screamed very loudly about when it was Kyle Rittenhouse carrying the gun — a gun that Alex Pretti did not even 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.”
Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, was shot and killed by Border Patrol agents on Saturday amid protests following the January 7 fatal shooting of Renée Nicole Good, also by federal officers.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has since claimed Pretti intended to “kill law enforcement” and was “brandishing” a weapon. However, none of the available video footage shows Pretti holding a weapon. An agent appears to disarm Pretti, and other agents then open fire, shooting him at least ten times.
“Is that the law and order that you voted for?” Kimmel asked. “Where are the reasonable voices on the right? We need some decent people on the right to show some courage and some common sense… Every day is a nightmare now.”
The host then fought back tears as he expressed his condolences, saying, “To the people of Minneapolis, to the Pretti family and the Good family, these people who were looking out for their neighbors, we want you to know that we are with you and you are not alone.”
Kimmel got emotional again towards the end of his monologue as he played a video from 2024, in which Pretti paid tribute to one of his patients, a veteran, who had passed away.
“I want to leave you with this,” Kimmel said. “The man Stephen Miller referred to as a would-be assassin, Alex Pretti, was an ICU nurse who treated veterans, which is about as patriotic, I think, as it gets. And the video of Alex that I would like you to see, of this man they called a domestic terrorist, is from 2024, in which Alex honored one of his patients who passed away, a veteran named Terrance Lee Randolph.”
After playing the clip, a tearful Kimmel added, “Alex Pretti, may he rest in peace.”
You can watch the full opening monologue in the video above and let us know your thoughts below.
Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Weeknights, 11:35/10:35c, ABC
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