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“We Need To Speak Up”: Hollywood A‑Listers Use Golden Globes Platform To Take A Stand Against ICE
Several high-profile celebrities used the 2026 Golden Globe Awards on Sunday to protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by wearing black-and-white pins during the ceremony in Beverly Hills.
Mark Ruffalo, Wanda Sykes, Jean Smart, and other celebrities appeared with pins carrying messages such as “BE GOOD” and “ICE OUT.”
- At the 2026 Golden Globe Awards, celebrities like Mark Ruffalo and Wanda Sykes wore pins protesting ICE after Renee Good's fatal shooting.
- Jean Smart wore an 'ICE OUT' pin onstage, using her acceptance speech to urge people to 'do the right thing' amid national turmoil.
- Nikki Glaser's opening monologue critiqued political issues subtly, referencing DOJ and CBS controversies without naming Trump directly.
- The 'Be Good' and 'ICE OUT' pin campaign was organized by activists and embraced by entertainers to raise awareness against ICE policies.
The action followed the fatal shooting of Renee Good, who was killed last week in Minneapolis by an ICE officer while sitting in her car. While the awards show avoided overt commentary for most of the evening, these pins set a clear political tone.
Many celebrities wore pins protesting ICE at the 2026 Golden Globe Awards
Image credits: JC Olivera/Getty Images
Ruffalo, Sykes, and Natasha Lyonne wore the pins while walking the red carpet at the Beverly Hilton. Inside the ballroom, Jean Smart and Ariana Grande also wore the pins.
Smart kept the pin on her gown when she went onstage to accept the Golden Globe for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Musical or Comedy Series.
The shooting of Good on Wednesday sparked protests across the U.S., with demonstrators calling for accountability in her death, especially in Minneapolis, where ICE is conducting its largest enforcement operation to date.
Massive protests in Minneapolis are happening right now, demanding justice for Renee Good. A revolution is brewing. The people are fed up with the system. We need this all over the country. It’s the only way to make change! pic.twitter.com/mGjXvVCpKf
— Power to the People ☭🕊 (@ProudSocialist) January 10, 2026
The Trump administration has defended the ICE officer involved, saying he acted in self-defense and believed Good was about to strike him with her vehicle. However, local officials in Minneapolis disputed that account and asked ICE to leave the state.
Skyes told Variety, “Of course, this is for the mother who was murdered by an ICE agent. I know people are out marching and all today, and we need to speak up. We need to be out there and shut this rogue government down because it’s just awful what they’re doing to people.”
Image credits: Rich Polk/Getty Images
Smart told Entertainment Tonight, “Everything’s kind of overshadowed by everything that’s going on right now in our country.”
“I feel like we’re kind of at a turning point in this country,” she said on the red carpet. “I hope people can keep their heads because that’s actually, really the hardest thing, I think, is to keep our heads. It’s going to take a lot of courage and concerns, but I think that’s important.”
She continued, “I know that there are people who find it annoying when actors take opportunities to talk about social and political things, but I’m not here right now speaking as an actor. I’m here speaking as a citizen and a mom, and I hope people understand that.”
Image credits: Rich Polk/Getty Images
Smart took the opportunity of her acceptance speech to add, “There’s just a lot that could be said tonight. I said my rant on the red carpet, so I won’t do it here.”
“But, thank you. Let’s all do the right thing. I think everybody in their hearts knows what the right thing to do is, so let’s do the right thing,” she said.
Comedian and actress Nikki Glaser also made a few comments in the opening monologue as the host for the evening. While she steered clear of mentioning President Donald Trump by name, she made some allusions and spoke about the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Celebrities making a statement included Mark Ruffalo, Ariana Grande, and Nikki Glaser
Image credits: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
“There are so many A-listers here, and by A-listers I mean people who are on a list that has been heavily redacted. The Golden Globe for best editing goes to the Justice Department,” she said.
The Department of Justice has been criticized for heavily redacting the investigation files it has released on the convicted sex offender.
She also made a comment on CBS News, which paid Trump $16 million to settle a defamation case over an edited 60 Minutes interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
CBS also recently pulled a 60 Minutes report about the deportation of Venezuelan migrants to the infamous CECOT prison in El Salvador. “CBS News, America’s newest place to see BS news,” Glaser said.
Nikki Glazer says “The Golden Globe for best editing goes to the Dept of Justice” (re Epstein files), and…
“The Golden Globe for MOST editing goes to CBS (re-pulling a “60 Minutes” segment about the US govt’s treatment of Venezuelan migrants, deported to El Salvador). pic.twitter.com/dX6n5YOOgw
— JoJo (@DogsNDemocrats) January 12, 2026
Speaking to USA Today, Ruffalo said the pin was for Good, and “the people of the United States who are terrorized and scared today,” before saying that he was “one of them.”
“I love this country, and what I am seeing here happening is not America,” Ruffalo said.
Mark Ruffalo wears a pin to the “Golden Globes,” honoring Renee Good, who lost her life attempting to run over ICE agents.
Dudes a total clown. pic.twitter.com/2HhIB1SqpB
— American AF 🇺🇸 (@iAnonPatriot) January 12, 2026
Organizations involved in the #BeGood campaign include Marmot, MoveOn, the National Domestic Workers Alliance, Working Families Power, and “leaders from every sector of the entertainment industry.”
Its goal is to remind everyone “to be good to one another in the face of such horror—to be a good citizen, neighbor, friend, ally and human.”
Nelini Stamp of Working Families Power said in a statement, “We need every part of civil society, society to speak up. We need our artists. We need our entertainers. We need the folks who reflect society.”
Organizers said they turned to the Golden Globes because the event reaches a global audience.
Ariana Grande wears a “ICE OUT” pin at the golden globes pic.twitter.com/I22HMeQAih
— Ariana Grande Today (@ArianaToday) January 12, 2026
Jess Morales Rocketto, the executive director of the Latino advocacy group Maremoto, and Stamp came up with the idea for the “ICE OUT” pins during a late-night text exchange earlier this week, APreported.
This marked Rocketto’s third year organizing activism around the Golden Globes. The duo reached out to celebrities and influencers, who then took the campaign to the more prominent figures in their circles.
Supporters of the movement were attending “fancy events” that took place in the days leading up to the Golden Globes, and passing out the pins at parties, Stamp told AP.
George Clooney spoke in French
George Clooney presents the last award of the night for Best Picture – Drama 🏆 … supported from afar by Don Cheadle #GoldenGlobespic.twitter.com/GH96zvg9jC
— Golden Globes (@goldenglobes) January 12, 2026
George Clooney, who recently became a naturalized citizen of France, presented an award at the ceremony, partly in French. “Bonsoir, mes amis [Good evening, my friends],” he said, before adding that it was an honor to be there, “C’est un honneur d’être ici [It’s an honor to be here].”
Trump had said of Clooney’s French citizenship, “Good News! George and Amal Clooney, two of the worst political prognosticators of all time, have officially become citizens of France.”
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