Ellen DeGeneres made a rare public political statement this week, using her platform to respond to the killing of Renee Nicole Good, a Minneapolis woman fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent earlier this month.
In a series of Instagram posts, DeGeneres expressed support for Minneapolis residents and for Good’s family, marking one of the few times the entertainer has weighed in directly on a current political crisis. The posts came after Good, 37, was shot in the head by an ICE agent on Jan. 7.
In a video message addressed to Minneapolis, DeGeneres referenced the city as the site of her final stand-up special, filmed in 2024. “I shot it there because they say it’s the happiest city in America,” she said. “So, my thoughts and my prayers are going out to everyone, and I’m proud of everyone who’s protesting peacefully, and I am sorry for anyone who has been hurt just for protesting.”
DeGeneres also shared a separate post featuring a photo of Good, adding her own words alongside excerpts from a public letter written by Good’s wife, Becca Good. “I’m so sad, and so angry, and so worried,” DeGeneres wrote.
According to authorities, Good was shot while driving with her wife and their dog shortly after dropping their six-year-old child at school. She was transported to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Video footage released days later appears to show the moments leading up to the shooting, including verbal exchanges between Good, her wife and the agent who was later identified as Jonathan Ross. Multiple gunshots can be heard before the vehicle crashes.
The killing has drawn national attention, particularly within LGBTQ+ communities. Good and her wife were married and raising a child together, and her death has become a focal point in broader debates over federal immigration enforcement, protest policing, and the safety of LGBTQ+ families in public spaces.
In a public statement following her wife’s death, Becca Good focused on who Renee was, not how she died. “If you ever encountered my wife, Renee Nicole Macklin Good, you know that above all else, she was kind,” she wrote. “In fact, kindness radiated out of her.”
DeGeneres’ posts also prompted hostile replies online. Comments cited in coverage included, “Obey the law. It’s just that simple,” “Spare with the wrongness and sadness of what happened to this woman when SHE could’ve avoided it,” and “Take a seat Ellen,” posted beneath her messages about Good’s death.
DeGeneres rarely comments publicly on political events. In this case, her posts centered on grief, protest, and the words of Good’s family, as Good’s death continues to reverberate far beyond Minneapolis. The incident remains a deep loss for those who knew and loved her, as well as countless numbers of individuals who didn’t, but are shocked by the needless violence perpetrated by representatives of the American government.