What you need to know
Ellen DeGeneres made a rare public political statement on Sunday, January 18, when she posted about the shooting death of Renee Nicole Good by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minneapolis.
DeGeneres, 67, shared two Instagram posts about Goode’s death on Sunday. One was a long video message to Minneapolis, and the other featured a photo of Good.
“Hey guys, I just wanted to say, I’m so sorry for what’s going on in Minneapolis and our country, and really, especially what’s going on in Minneapolis right now, because Minneapolis is where I filmed my last stand-up special, and everyone there couldn’t have been nicer,” DeGeneres began in a video post, referencing her 2024 Netflix special Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval.
“They say it’s the happiest city in America, so we shot there, and it turned out to be true,” DeGeneres continued. “So my thoughts and prayers go out to you all. I’m proud of all of you who are protesting peacefully. And I’m sorry to all the people who were hurt just by protesting and doing what they had to do.”
“Anyway, I’m just sending love,” she concluded the video.
DeGeneres’ other post featured a photo of Goode and was a repost of the original caption by author and former presidential candidate Marianne Williamson. “So sad, so angry, so worried,” DeGeneres added to Williamson’s caption, which included excerpts from a letter written by Good’s wife, Becca Good.
“If you’ve ever wondered about the role of spirituality in politics, this is it. This is more than just a letter, it’s a reminder. We honor both Renee and Becca by taking these words to heart and trying to live them every day,” Williamson added in the foreword to Becca’s letter, which was previously published on Jan. 9 on Minnesota Public Radio.
“If you’ve ever met my wife, Renee Nicole Macklin Good, you know that she was above all else kind. In fact, she exuded kindness,” Becca’s letter began.
Becca’s letter continued, “Renee was glowing. She was literally glowing. I mean, she wasn’t wearing glitter, but I swear she was glowing from every pore. All the time. You might think it was just my love story, but her family said the same thing. Renee was made of sunshine.”
Good was shot and killed by ICE agents on January 7th while driving with his wife and dog in Minneapolis after dropping off his 6-year-old child at school. She died from a gunshot wound to the head and was pronounced dead at a local hospital. The good thing was that I was 37 years old.
Ellen DeGeneres/Instagram
Video footage appears to capture the moments before Good was shot and killed. The video, shared by Alpha News on January 9 and described by the organization as being from an agent’s perspective, shows a confrontation between Good and a police officer later identified as Jonathan Ross. The clip shows Good behind the wheel of an SUV parked perpendicular to the roadway while the person taking the video circles around the vehicle.
“That’s okay, dude. I’m not mad at you,” Good can be heard telling the person behind the camera. Becca records the scene on her cell phone and speaks to the same person outside the car. “Just so you know, it’s going to be the same thing when you come back to talk later, and that’s okay,” Becca says.
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She added: “You want to attack us? Go get some lunch, bro.”
Moments later, a voice was heard yelling, “Get out of the car, get out of the car, get out of the fucking car.”
As Becca reached for the passenger door, she saw Renee backing the car up and steering the car forward toward the road, and Becca said, “Drive, baby, drive, drive!”
At that point, multiple gunshots are apparently heard. A voice is then heard saying, “Fuck you.” It is unclear who said that or to whom the comment was addressed.
Another witness video of the shooting showed a masked Ross firing several shots into Renee’s car, including through the driver’s side windshield, before crashing.
Since Goode’s death, federal agents have continued raids in Minnesota. On Monday, January 19, DeGeneres showed support for protesters against the federal government’s actions by sharing a video with the caption, “Wait a minute.”
