Late-night TV took a hard-left turn Monday night, launching into full-blown tirades against federal law enforcement over the Border Patrol agent-involved shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. The tone? Less comedy, more chaos—and definitely not subtle.
Stephen Colbert, host of The Late Show on CBS, wasted no time. After a quick nod to his loyal fans braving the cold to attend the taping, Colbert stared into the camera and dropped the kind of language that used to be bleeped even in edgy comedy clubs. “I think we can all agree, fuck ICE!” he declared. The studio audience? Cheered like it was a concert encore.
It didn’t stop there.
Jimmy Kimmel, airing on Disney-owned ABC, unleashed a rant of his own. With zero hesitation, he referred to federal agents as “goons” who are “poorly trained” and “shamefully led.” He accused them of committing “vile” and even “criminal” acts, painting an entire agency with one broad, rage-filled brush.
Then, as he broke down in tears, he turned to the families of Alex Pretti and others, promising, “we are with you and you are not alone.” All the emotion, none of the nuance.
Meanwhile, Jon Stewart on Comedy Central took it even further. Reacting to DHS and Border Patrol’s support of their agents, Stewart exploded: “Are you fucking kidding me right now?” He ridiculed the right for pointing out that Pretti was armed with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun while resisting arrest, twisting the argument into a bizarre criticism of gun ownership itself—a head-spinning contradiction considering who usually champions the Second Amendment.
What didn’t get airtime? Any mention of ICE’s daily fight against some of the worst criminals imaginable—convicted murderers, child predators, drug traffickers, and violent offenders—who are often shielded by the same activist networks fueling the current unrest.
No facts about the complexity of the Pretti case. No details on the confrontation. Just high-decibel outrage, scripted indignation, and a convenient omission of any context that didn’t serve the narrative.
Once again, the late-night stage morphed into a political echo chamber, trading punchlines for propaganda. And judging by the applause, that’s exactly what the audience came for.
