“Saturday Night Live” lightly took on ICE during “Weekend Update,” hours after a 37-year-old Minneapolis intensive care nurse was killed by Border Patrol agents.
“Vice President J.D. Vance criticized protesters confronting ICE Officers, saying they should instead write an op-ed or argue about it on social media. You know, just like these young scholars did on January 6th,” Michael Che said during the January 24 episode, motioning to a photo of the attack at the Capitol in 2021.
He continued, “I get that ICE agents are people, allegedly, and they have a job to do. But at some point while you’re pepper-spraying old ladies or shooting at a nurse, do you ever stop to ask yourself, ‘Are we dicks?’”
The cold open on “SNL” was directed at Donald Trump with a spoof on awards shows, featuring Michael Myers returning as Elon Musk, who joked, “After what all my little freaks and psychos in ICE have been doing, I need more distractions.”
Earlier in the day on Saturday, Natalie Portman spoke out against ICE at Variety‘s Sundance Studio, wearing “ICE Out” and “Be Good” pins, the latter referencing Renée Good, a woman who was killed by ICE earlier this month.
“We’re also at a moment in our country’s history that is quite devastating,” Portman said. “It’s really impossible not to talk about what is happening right now and the brutality of ICE and how it has to stop immediately. But also, there’s a beautiful community that Americans are showing right now. They’re showing up for each other, protecting each other and fighting for their freedom. It’s a bittersweet moment to celebrate something we’re so proud of on the backdrop of our nation in pain.”
Weekend Update with Colin Jost and Michael Che! pic.twitter.com/OlozUjQNRe
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— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) January 25, 2026
From Variety US