Jimmy Kimmel Breaks Down in Tears Over Alex Pretti Killing in Impassioned Late-Night Opener
Jimmy Kimmel broke down in tears on Monday night as he condemned the killing of ICU nurse Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis and slammed the Trump administration’s response as he issued a plea to MAGA voters.
At the top of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the host said in an opening monologue that he had spent the weekend “looking at my phone and just feeling shocked and sick at what’s happening in Minneapolis,” describing a flood of videos showing families torn apart in immigration raids.
“One video after another, screaming people being torn from their families, Americans – people who were born in the United States – being pulled out of their cars for the crime of having an accent or whatever. Children, small children, babies being tear-gassed, taken into custody, separated from their parents,” he said.
He continued: “Just one atrocity after another being committed by this gang of poorly trained, shamefully led, mask-wearing goons.”
Kimmel added: “And that is what they are: They’re goons committing vile, heartless, and even criminal acts. It’s sickening to watch, and it’s frustrating to watch.”
Turning his attention to the killings of Pretti and Renee Nicole Good, he went on: “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. They say the Honda SUV Renee Good was driving was weaponized. They say the gun Alex Pretti had a license to carry in an open-carry state. All right, many of these same people scream very loudly about when it was Kyle Rittenhouse having a 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. They fired 10 times on an ICU nurse. They’re telling us, ‘Well, it was justified.'”
The host warned it was a reckoning for those who had voted for President Donald Trump: “Is that the law and order that you voted for? if you voted for this? Every day is a nightmare.”
He continued: “How does this end? What’s the plan here? 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 that we can agree on. Can we agree that peaceful protesters, 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?”
As the audience applauded, he urged viewers to do their “own research,” adding: “Where are the reasonable voices on the right? I mean, we don’t have to agree on everything, but come on!”
Kimmel then took aim at Fox News in particular, rolling back clips of hosts discussing the incidents: “Let’s cut the bullsh*t already because it may be Fox, but it ain’t news.”
Later, he concluded: “If our leaders aren’t even trying to reduce the amount of chaos in the street rather than exacerbating it, if our leaders are intentionally creating and encouraging violence and fear, then I hope you will also agree we need new leaders because these are not leaders.”
“And to the people of Minneapolis,” he said, tearing up and voice cracking: “To the Pretti family and the Good family and these people who were looking out for their neighbors, we want you to know that we are with you and you are not alone.”
Watch above via ABC.
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