Prominent Hollywood figures Olivia Wilde and Natalie Portman made a political statement at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah over the weekend, sporting ICE OUT pins on their attire. This visual protest came in direct response to the fatal shooting of Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse and Minnesota resident, during an altercation with federal agents in Minneapolis on Saturday.
Celebrity Reactions to the Minneapolis Incident
The tragic event involving Pretti has sparked widespread outrage across the entertainment industry, with numerous celebrities taking to social media platforms to express their condemnation. Wilde clipped her protest badge prominently onto a stylish black lace dress, while Portman displayed hers on a sophisticated brown and black coat during separate premieres at the prestigious film festival.
Social Media Outcry from Prominent Figures
Mandy Moore shared her perspective on Instagram Stories, reposting a New York Times article about the shooting with the added comment: "We have eyeballs. We've seen the video. They executed someone else. I'm not sure how this ends. This is terrifying territory."
Ariana Grande amplified a message from New York City mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani, who declared: "ICE terrorizes our cities. ICE puts us all in danger. Abolish ICE."
Chrissy Teigen reposted content from U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who asserted: "Americans are being killed in the street by their government. Our Constitution is being shredded and our rights are dissolving. Resist."
Additional Celebrity Responses
Olivia Rodrigo posted on Instagram: "ICE's actions are unconscionable but we are not powerless. our actions matter. I stand with Minnesota."
Busy Phillips shared a lengthy Instagram caption stating: "my god. they will just keep murdering people and lying as long as they can. call your elected representatives. Take to the streets. boycott the businesses and people that support this."
Other notable figures who expressed their views included Jenna Ortega, Charli XCX, Edward Norton, Seth Rogen, Chrishell Stause, Amelia Gray Hamlin, Julianne Hough, Kaia Gerber, Halsey, Maren Morris, Christie Brinkley, Hilary Swank, and Justin Theroux.
Official Accounts and Family Statements
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem addressed the incident during a press conference, stating that Pretti had "reacted violently" during the altercation and questioned why he was carrying a legally-held weapon. She elaborated that Pretti had "impeded their law enforcement operations, attacked those officers, had a weapon on him and multiple, dozens of rounds of ammunition."
However, Pretti's family issued a strongly-worded statement contradicting the official narrative: "Alex was killed by murdering and cowardly thugs. The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump's murdering and cowardly ICE thugs."
The family described Pretti as "a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital." They emphasized that he was a U.S. citizen with no criminal record beyond minor traffic violations.
Background on Alex Pretti
Pretti was an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital who had participated in previous protests following the January 7 killing of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs officer. According to family members, he owned a handgun and had a permit to carry a concealed weapon in Minnesota, though they stated they had never known him to carry it regularly.
Friends close to Pretti told the Daily Mail that he had been "executed" by a U.S. Border Patrol agent, while footage of the incident appears to show an agent removing what seemed to be Pretti's legally-owned handgun from his waistband after the shooting.
The Sundance Film Festival, typically a celebration of cinematic achievement, thus became an unexpected platform for political protest as Hollywood's elite used their visibility to draw attention to what they perceive as governmental overreach and violence.
